


One Odd Day

by Lady_Felucia



Category: General Hux - Fandom, Kylo Ren - Fandom, Star Wars, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), kylux - Fandom
Genre: Eventual kylux, Fantasy, Fluff, Friendship, Gay, General Hux - Freeform, Impossible romance, Kylo Ren - Freeform, Kylo Ren and General Hux - Freeform, Kylux - Freeform, Leia organa - Freeform, Love, Luke Skywalker - Freeform, M/M, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Same-sex relationships, Sci-Fi, Soft Kylux, Star Wars - Freeform, Star Wars Episode VII : The Force Awakens (2015), The First Order, War, kylux fluff, space boyfriends, supreme leader snoke - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-24 22:26:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9789863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Felucia/pseuds/Lady_Felucia
Summary: A gradual falling-in-love of two men who sometimes struggle even to be friends.





	1. Chapter 1

General Hux walked out of his office, resisting the urge to sigh as a group of storm troopers marched in a line past him down the hallway. 

Each one lifted their hand in salute, which he returned, albeit wearily.

Being the General of the First Order was a position in which he never would have imagined himself, when he was going through military training at Arkanis Academy.

He was smart, and he was resourceful. He graduated from Academy at a mere 22 years old, the youngest to do so in quite a number of years.

He was "recruited", if that's indeed the term one would use, by Supreme Leader Snoke immediately afterwards, taken on as a Tactical weapons officer, and quickly rising through the ranks to obtain the position of General.

With his title came a great deal of respect, a hefty salary--and a world of headaches.

Despite all that he was allowed, he strived to keep his personal life very simple, and orderly. 

He shunned the elaborate quarters that Snoke offered him and chose the most basic layout of rooms, situated on base close to the storm troopers.

He was meticulous to a fault in the way he dressed, never appearing in public without a freshly starched uniform, mirror-reflective boots, greatcoat and hat. He kept his hair carefully gelled and flattened, never a lock appearing out of regulation.

As far as physical attributes went, he was far from intimidating. He was slender to a fault, and pale-skinned, with red hair and piercing blue-gray eyes.

The thing that made others bend before him, the thing that made him a force to be reckoned with, had everything to do with his demeanor.

He was strict, honest, and fair. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of all combat procedures and weapon design on base, and a mind like a steel trap. He never forgot anything, whether it was persons, places or events.

Perhaps most impressive of all about him was his voice. It was commanding, it was forceful. One could pick out the General's voice from a crowd of a thousand others, and know exactly who is was that was speaking.

People feared him, and respected him.

Well, most people.

There was one individual on base that remained thoroughly unimpressed with the General's appearance, his credentials, and nearly every other aspect of him.

That man was Kylo Ren, dark lord, leader of the knights of Ren, and personal apprentice to Supreme Leader Snoke.

The two men had shared a contentious professional relationship almost since the day they met, often butting heads over differing ideas and opinions over each ones perceived best way to run the First Order.

As the General walked down the hallway, now, going to take up his perch on the observation deck to watch the troops go about their daily drills, he was surprised to see a person already standing there in his spot.

He did a double take, before quickly regaining his strict composure and walking up to stand beside the man.

The General had mixed feelings, regarding this darkly clad, mask-wearing Force user.

They had worked together for nearly 10 years, since both were very young men; yet neither truly knew much about the other person, outside of a workplace standpoint.

The Supreme Leader treated the two of them as being equal in rank, although their responsibilities differed greatly from one another's.

On one hand, there was no doubt in his mind, now or ever, that Kylo Ren held some extremely impressive talents in his repertoire. 

His Force abilities were second only to the Supreme Leader, and he exuded a powerful energy, an indomitable presence, wherever he went.

Enemies of the First Order far and wide were in awe of the young man, and it brought their entire regime a great deal of both fear, and respect.

On the other hand, Lord Ren was also in possession of an extremely volatile, irrational nature. 

His anger appeared to be something that was difficult for him to control, and when he lost control of his temper (which was often), damage in people and property abounded.

His outbursts caused considerable need for repair and reconstruction around the ship and the base that Hux strove so hard to keep in order, and it had been a point of contention between the two men. 

They had come close to physical blows with one another on numerous occasions, and both had been subject to lectures from Snoke on the utmost importance of the two men putting aside their personal feelings and working together to achieve the goals of the First Order.

Which rather made Hux feel like a child, being scolded by a father-figure to get along with his sibling. 

Which he absolutely loathed.

So the General found it in the best interests of everyone, especially himself, to avoid contact with the Supreme Leader's apprentice unless absolutely necessary.

Snoke must have felt this, too, as he often kept the two men separated from one another and attending to vastly different duties within the base.

Seeing him standing there, now, was the first time he had seen him up close in maybe a fortnight. 

He took a deep breath before approaching him, resolving to be cordial.

He went and stood next to him, shoulder to shoulder, firmly clasping his hands behind his back and looking out at his troops, before addressing the silent man.

"Hello, Ren. Glad that you've decided to join me today."

The knight said nothing, although, when shifting his gaze slightly towards him, Hux could see that he was nodding his head in agreement.

They stood in a somewhat awkward silence for the space of minutes, as they watched the formation of storm troopers below where they stood on the platform.

The General started a bit, when Ren spoke towards him out of the stillness. 

"Row 6, 9th soldier from the left. TY-5612. That one is having doubts about their place in this regiment. He may need reconditioning."

Hux gazed at the columns below them, counting in his head until his eyes landed on the correct trooper in question.

"TY-5612. Thank you for bringing that to my attention, Lord Ren. He will be sent through the proper channels at once."

Ren nodded again, folding his arms across his chest as he continued to gaze at the men below them.

He was behaving oddly today, in that he was, well, behaving. He had no snarky comments for the General or angry outbursts directed towards First Order equipment.

It was difficult to tell with his mask on, but Hux thought that he seemed almost mellow, which was a unique circumstance in and of itself. 

He pushed the unimportant thought from his mind as he focused back on the men below them, sharp eyes keenly taking in everything as he watched the Captains put their individual squadrons through a series of physical training drills.

"Captain Brown's squad is quite slow to react to commands," Hux muttered to himself, unaware that he had spoken out loud. "I need to call him into my office later to discuss improvement techniques."

"I could speak with him, if you wish," Ren said beside him, voice slightly distorted through the modulator in his mask. "I can be quite persuasive."

Hux lifted an eyebrow, not turning to look at the man. 

"Thank you, but no, Lord Ren. I'm quite sure that the subpar performance of Captain Brown's team does not warrant him losing a limb. A simple conversation should be more than efficient in remedying the situation."

There was a pause, and then the knight was answering him, his words coming out just slightly faster than before.

"If I'm not mistaken, I DID say I would TALK to him, General. TALK. I've said nothing about a loss of limbs."

"Yes, Ren, I heard what you said. However, what you say and what you do are often two entirely different things. And I don't need to lose any more men at this time."

Ren was turned fully towards him now, his head tilted as he regarded the ginger man. Even with the mask on, Hux could almost feel the angry gaze that was burning out of it.

"You seem to think that these men are entirely yours to command, General Hux. Perhaps you need to be reminded that, for all intents and purposes, we share this command. If I see something that displeases me, I have the right to deal with it in any way I see fit."

"So you're admitting that you ARE planning on physically harming the Captain? Honestly, Ren, if you're that desperate for entertainment I suggest you take out your childish antics on the lower ranking storm troopers, and not my valued officers."

"Childish antics?"

"Yes, childish. Immature, juvenile, childish. Just because you want to prove a point about how dark you are, that doesn't mean somebody has to die. These men are not as expendable as you may believe."

"What about YOU, Hux? Do you think it would be hard to replace YOU, if I were to kill you right now?"

"Well, if you're going to do so, Ren, then by all means, go ahead. I do hope you'll be quick about it; I have a meeting in an hour that I'd really rather not go to. I'm sure that death would be a decent enough excuse to get out of it."

Another pause, and then the distinctive hiss of the airlock as the mechanisms of Ren's helmet released. He pulled it off of his head and tucked it underneath one arm, his other hand going to his head and smoothing out his disheveled raven locks.

Amazingly, he was laughing softly to himself, shaking his head a bit.

"You're not afraid of me," he said in his deep, melodic voice, looking at the General with curious eyes. "I can read it in your thoughts; you saw that I was being serious just now, and you shrugged it off."

"Why?", he demanded.

Hux kept his body rigid, facing straight as he shifted his gaze towards the other man.

"Why should I fear you?", he asked with a scoff in his voice. "Because you threaten to kill me? I hate to cause you disappointment, Ren, but that's nothing new to me. I have a thousand people who would want to kill me. It comes with the territory, with the uniform."

Ren seemed to contemplate this for a moment, brown eyes searching the General's pale face.

"Does ANYTHING scare you, then?", he asked, partly to himself.

"Well, to be terribly honest, I've never been that fond of spiders."

And then both men began to laugh, chests heaving slightly with unexpected mirth. 

Hux found himself wondering exactly when the last time he had done this, had laughed, was; and found that his memory was murky on the subject.

He quickly regained his stern composure, glancing around to assure himself that no one had seen his ridiculous slip in character.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, Ren, I have several matters to attend to on the grounds. I'll see you later this evening."

Ren nodded, watching as he turned smartly on his heel and strode off down the corridor.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"Kriff!" Hux exclaimed angrily to himself, as he fiddled with the screen of his datapad.

He had been tinkering with this for the past hour, sitting in his office after one of the long, drawn out meetings he was subject to every week.

He had somehow pushed it on to the floor when he was shuffling papers on his desk, and the screen had immediately went black, refusing to turn on no matter what he did to it.

He could have just commissioned a new datapad; but Hux was frugal to a fault, always conscious of the Order's strict budget due to the costly construction of the Superweapon. Anything that could be salvaged, should be.

Including a malfunctioning datapad.

He was turned around in his chair, facing the wall, completely absorbed in his task.

Which is why he didn't hear the figure walk up behind him, and was unaware that he wasn't alone until a finger tapped his shoulder.

He jumped a little in his seat, face turning red, as he looked up at his visitor.

"Lord Ren," he said gruffly. "What are you doing sneaking up behind me like that?"

Ren chuckled, before pulling off his helmet and setting it at the edge of Hux's desk.

"I didn't sneak up behind you, actually. I stood in your doorway and said your name twice. What in the world are you DOING?"

"Is there something you want, Lord Ren?" Hux asked him, ignoring his inquiry.

"Snoke told me to come and tell you that he wants the budget meeting tomorrow moved up an hour. He said he messaged you on your datapad but you didn't respond."

"Ah. Well. That should answer your question, THAT'S what I'm doing. I dropped this thing and now I can't get it to turn back on."

"May I?" Ren asked, holding out his hand for Hux's datapad.

Wordlessly, Hux handed it over to Ren.

He flipped it over and studied the screws on the back. Using a screwdriver, he slowly extracted the screws from the four corners of the pad, laying them neatly on Hux's desk.

He swiftly moved his fingers over the exposed wires in the back, connecting together a few that had disengaged from one another in the fall.

There was a small "pop" sound, and the screen lit up in light blue.

Smiling, Ren pushed the back cover carefully into place, returning the screws before handing it over to the surprised General.

"You knocked the wires loose. I didn't reset it so you should still have all your information stored on there; it just might take a few minutes to recover, though."

The General was silent for a few minutes, mostly in agitation with himself. He did not like 'needing' help from anyone, and felt that he should have been more than capable of fixing his device on his own.

Clearing his throat, he looked directly at Ren and said, somewhat sheepishly,

"Thank you, Ren. I--wasn't aware you were capable of FIXING things. I thought destruction was more your forte."

He felt a little guilty, insulting him like that after he just fixed his datapad for him. 

But if Ren was offended, he didn't show it.

He merely shrugged his shoulders and said, quietly, "I'm not entirely useless."

As Ren turned to leave, the General found that, oddly, he didn't want him to go yet.

"Wait a minute," he said, stopping him. "Stay. Have a drink with me."

"A drink?" Ren asked, turning around and looking at him with amusement. "Since when do you drink?"

"Birth, most likely," Hux replied, sitting down and pulling a bottle out of his desk, with two glasses. 

"Mostly tea, but I do enjoy the harder stuff on special occasion."

Ren sat down in the chair on the other side of Hux's desk, eyeing the bottle he was twisting the cap off of. 

"What's the 'special occasion' today, then?"

"I found a pair of socks in my closet that I thought I had lost."

Ren chuckled, shaking his head. 

"You know, when you don't have a stick wedged up your ass, you can be pretty funny."

Hux frowned, pouring the liquid carefully into the two glasses. 

"I'm going to assume that you mean that as a compliment. So, thank you."

"Welcome," Ren replied, taking a small sip of his drink. He twisted his lips up as the liquor burned down his throat.

Hux watched him closely, easily sipping down his own drink. 

"I take it you're not a fan ?"

Ren hesitated, then took another swig. This one went down easier.

"It's not that," he said, toying with his glass in his hands. "I'm just not accustomed to alcohol in general. It wasn't allowed when I was training, as a boy; and once I got here, I haven't really found many opportunities to partake."

"Wasn't allowed?", Hux repeated. "That--sounds difficult. I don't think I could easily give up any of my vices."

"Well, no, you probably couldn't NOW. But it's different when you just have no access to the vices to begin with. You can't know you're missing out on something if you've never experienced it in the first place."

"That still sounds hard, to me."

"It's not as bad as you'd think, actually. Alcohol, romance--those things can be horrible distractions to achieving your ultimate power. I don't agree with Jedi logic on many things, but I do feel they had the right idea, with some of the things they disallowed."

"Wait, wait--romance? You couldn't have that, either?"

"No."

Hux tried to wrap his mind around the concept, as improbable as it seemed.

In his academy days, he had often enjoyed the company of pretty young women. Since coming here, the opportunity to engage in such carnal delights was very slim; however, he still could not imagine a world where that sort of relief wouldn't be accessible to him.

"Maybe I should clarify," Ren said, reading what was in Hux's mind with a small smile. "They didn't have a problem with the physical act of love, exactly. It was more so with the idea of forming attachments."

"Ah," Hux said, taking another drink. "So basically no emotional ties to others. Why do you think that is?"

Ren sighed, quoting for him what he had heard so often from his Uncle Luke. 

"'Attachment leads to jealousy', which apparently starts you on the path to the Dark Side."

"Is that what started YOU on the path to the Dark Side, Ren? Did you have an attachment to someone?"

He meant it to be a joke; but apparently Ren didn't take it as one. His facial expression darkened just a bit, like a single cloud passing over the sun in a bright blue sky. 

Hux thought he could detect just a tiny bit of pain in his dark eyes.

Ren picked up his drink and swallowed down the rest in one swift gulp.

He stood up quickly, pushing his chair in and grabbing his helmet from Hux's desk.

"Thank you for the drink, General, but I really should be getting on now. I'm due for meditations with Snoke."

Hux nodded, leaning back slightly in his chair. "Of course. Have a good evening."

Ren nodded, then clicked his helmet into place over his head before turning and striding out of Hux's office, leaving a very loud silence in his wake.


	2. Chapter 2

They landed on Felucia at just after daybreak, the sun blindingly bright in the early morning sky.

They were here to collect topispora, a type of plant that could easily be converted into fuel cells for their super weapon. 

Scans had indicated that no human life forms were on this planet, however it was home to a variety of animal and plant life, some quite dangerous (and carnivorous).

Snoke had sent Hux to oversee this requisition mission, along with several squadrons of storm troopers in order to do the extracting.

The going was hard at first, the area being covered in deep, swampy beds of water, and the topispora being difficult to remove from its roots.

Snoke had also sent Lord Ren along on the journey, and the two men stood side by side in the sunlight, watching as the stormtroopers loaded sacks with handfuls of the valuable plant.

If Hux had taken the time to think about it, he would have noticed that this planet was one of the most beautiful ones he had ever been on.

The lush greenery and multi colored plant-life gave the landscape a vibrant, dynamic feel. 

It was pleasantly warm (warm enough that Ren decided to forgo his helmet in favor of a bare face, anyway) and the air was sweet with the perfume of the diverse vegetation.

Unfortunately, beauty was not something that a man in his position could afford to take the time and enjoy.

Throughout the years, sunsets had lost their appeal for him, as did blue skies, starry nights, and the variable pleasing aesthetic qualities of the many places they went to.

Acquisition.  
Destruction.

The world existed for him almost solely within these two differing categories. 

The First Order would either take people or resources from the planets they visited, up to and including the planet itself; or they would destroy it.

This being the case, there was really no time to sit back and marvel at the brilliant red-yellows of a coming dawn, or appreciate the way a waterfall might cascade perfectly into a waiting stream. 

Hux busied himself with the outer door of the ship, having noticed that it was slow to open and close. He deduced that it needed new connector rods, and set to work taking out the old ones and installing the new ones.

Ren watched him at first, then moved to help him, holding the metal sheath in place as Hux stripped the outer covering off to reinstall the rods.

As Ren was loading the old rods into his arms, he accidentally scraped one across his forearm, tearing a hole in the sleeve of his robe. Blood began to trickle out in a little stream.

Hux saw this, and went into med bay, coming back with a First Aid kit. He held it out to Ren.

"Here."

"What's this for?"

"Are you kidding? Your arm is bleeding."

"It's just a scratch; its fine."

"It is NOT fine. You need to bandage that before it gets infected."

"I think you're overreacting a little, General."

Hux sighed, opening the kit himself. "If you're going to be difficult about it, then come here. I'll do it."

"There is no way I'm letting you do that ! I told you, it's FINE."

"Can you stop being an infant, please, and just let me bandage up your arm!"

Ren huffed, holding out his arm stiffly in front of him and turning his head away.

Exactly like a child.

Sighing again, Hux rolled up the sleeve of his robe, pausing at what he saw.

All along Ren's arm, from wrist to elbow, were a number of deeply etched red scars. Hux could tell without asking that they had been caused by the blade of a lightsaber. They had the same distinctive, sharp-edged quality of the one that brandished his face.

He must have paused longer than he meant to, because Ren snapped at him, his head still turned the other way,

"Are you planning on fixing the cut anytime today, or are you just going to stare at my arm for the next hour?"

Hux set to work applying antiseptic to the fresh wound, and wrapping a bandaid around the length of Ren's arm, pressing tightly to make sure that the bleeding stopped.

Once satisfied with his work, he rolled Ren's sleeve back down and stepped away from him.

The two men walked off the ship and back into the sunshine, to observe the storm troopers once more.

Ren lightly shook his arm out, adjusting to the feel of the wrap, before folding both arms across his chest.

"I didn't need you to do that, you know," Ren said petulantly, his face slipping into a pout. "It wasn't that deep; it would have stopped bleeding on its own."

Hux couldn't help but shake his head at how stubborn he was, how immature.

Not in the mood to argue any further on the subject, he decided to delve into a new one.

"I feel like there aren't nearly as many topispora here as we had thought. Or, rather, useable ones"

"Why do you think that?"

"I've walked the area, made a surveying sweep of the grounds. Many of them are so bogged down with mire, or worn with age, that they'll be impossible to use. The topi that aren't, require delicate separation to extract them from their habitats without damaging them."

Ren nodded thoughtfully, a serious expression on his face.

"Is this area the only place on this planet where these things are available?"

"As far as we could tell, yes. The scans indicated that there's an abundance of wildlife living on the areas outside this, and this is a food source for them. So chances are there wouldn't be anything in those places."

Ren pulled a map hologram device from his pocket, punching in coordinates until the planet was brought up on the projection. 

He walked around the picture, studying it, until he pointed out a planet a few spaces away from their current one.

"Here. What about this one? Data indicates the climate and makeup of that planet closely matches this one. Maybe there's some Topi there, that we can use?"

"I don't know, Ren," Hux replied, studying the map. "We haven't any information on that planet at all; we have no idea if there are sentient life forms, or what sort of animals reside there, if any."

Ren rolled his eyes impatiently. "You overthink everything, do you know that?"

"It's not overthinking, it's called strategizing. It's dangerous to go into a place with no clue of what you're walking into."

"So send a reconnaissance team out first. We have more than enough troopers with us to break off a small team and send them ahead while the remaining men continue with this."

Hux nodded slowly, a small smile on his face. "Actually, that's not a bad idea. Not bad at all, really," he conceded reluctantly. He looked at Ren with some respect. 

"That's not very nice, General," Ren said, glaring at him.

"What isn't?"

"Your thoughts are quite loud, and insulting. Calling me a "psychotic man-child with a surprising brain" isn't exactly flattering."

"Not even the 'brain' part?"

"No. Not really."

"Do you really want to talk about 'rude' right now? Because I can think of nothing quite so rude as intruding into the thoughts of others without their permission."

Ren was silent, but a smile played at the corner of his lips.

"That's not something I can help, General. It's funny, though; I've never heard you complain before when I use my 'gift' to pull useful information out of prisoners."

"That's entirely different. I'm not a prisoner."

"Are you sure about that?" Ren asked him, arching an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?"

"Think about it. You and I, we're both prisoners. We belong to Snoke."

"Maybe that's true for you, Ren, but not for me."

"No?"

"No. I work for him, you're his apprentice. We both came to him of our own free will; nobody forced us into this life. We chose it."

"Well, I'm glad you feel confident in that aspect. Sometimes I'm not so sure about myself."

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes I feel like me coming here wasn't my choice at all. Like the Galaxy had decided that my destiny lay with Snoke long before I even understood about concepts like 'fate' and 'choices'."

Hux looked at him wordlessly. He had never suspected that Ren was anything less than satisfied with his life, and it was somewhat of a shock to hear.

It was also a shock that Ren apparently felt comfortable enough with him to open up in this way, sharing what Hux suspected to be a hidden secret.

In truth, the General often thought about the ideas that Ren was bringing up to him.

Despite his best efforts not to, Hux wondered what it would be like to have a normal life, to live like an ordinary person who had nothing to do with this seemingly never-ending war.

To live on some obscure planet. To have a home, a wife, and children. 

To not spend every waking moment planning, strategizing, overseeing thousands of men and women, meetings, missions, constructing a massive weapon, paperwork, marching, drilling, uniforms and regulations.

But such thoughts were dangerous, and treasonous. 

It made him vastly uncomfortable, thinking about things like this. Uncomfortable, and somehow weak.

He knew that others would kill to be in the position that he was in, and have the responsibilities that rested on his shoulders. 

Personal politics aside, it was universally accepted that The First Order was the strongest faction in the galaxy. 

And the idea of having power, wielding power, was an entirely intoxicating one. Overshadowing all other discomforts, major and minor, until the drive for power was the only thing that remained in one's brain.

Snoke knew this, and undoubtably used this to influence and manipulate those around him into doing his bidding.

Hux thought about all this, silently, tilting his head and regarding the knight beside him with a wary look on his face.

Ren must have understood that Hux's thoughts were so mixed and so vast that to express them out-loud was an impossibility.

So he merely nodded at the ginger man, stating a simple "I know."

Hux cleared his throat, not looking at Ren. "I'm going to make contact with Snoke, let him know of your idea, and that we might be here a day or so longer than anticipated. Can you please check with the kitchen staff, make sure we have enough rations to last out a few days?"

"I can", Ren agreed, turning to face him. "Speaking of rations, I'm starving. After you talk to Snoke, do you want to go have a meal? I can tell the staff to prepare something for us while I'm down there."

"That sounds good, Ren. I'm hungry too. I'll see you after I make contact, alright?"

"Alright," said Ren, smiling at him.

As Ren turned and walked off towards the ship, Hux watched him leave with interest.

When you get him away from base and out of that dreadful mask, he's actually quite decent to speak with, Hux thought to himself, shaking his head. Detailed, smart, even a little bit funny.

Why can't he be like that all the time?

Hux pushed the thought from his mind as he went to make contact with the Supreme Leader.


	3. Chapter 3

That week, everything that could go wrong, did.

It started off when Captain Phasma came into the General's office to tell him, timidly, that the men working with the Topi plants had managed to set fire to a quarter of the supply, meaning Hux would have to requisition a new batch from a synthetic factory.

Which is exactly what they had been trying to avoid the expense of doing, by going to its natural habitat to harvest the Topi themselves.

Two of the First Order's best ships had been destroyed in a recent raid, taking with it better than 50 storm troopers, a plethora of weapons, and the like.

To top off everything, Lord Ren was having outburst after outburst this week, resulting in countless equipment requisition forms and numerous personnel out of commission due to the need for medical attention.

He had destroyed several navigational computers on board the Finalizer, and a great deal of walls and insulation on base.

And then there had been that meeting.

The General had fought hard against his urge to roll his eyes when Kylo Ren strode into the board room, half an hour late as usual. 

The man glanced around himself until he found a seat that he wanted.

There happened to be somebody sitting in it, already.

Not that it mattered.

The mask-wearing knight put one gloved hand on the back of the chair, staring silently at the lieutenant occupying it, until the man hastily rose to his feet, gathering up his paperwork in a sloppy scramble.

"Sorry, my Lord," he whispered, as he moved to sit in one of the unoccupied seats across the room.

Ren sat down, putting his arms up on the table and folding his hands together, giving his attention to Hux.

Meetings like these were, unfortunately, a steady staple of the First Order. 

Two, sometimes three times a week, General Hux presided over his officers as they painstakingly discussed matters like the budget, the progress of the super weapon, missions, storm trooper performance evaluations, and anything else that Snoke felt needed to be addressed.

Not that Snoke ever attended these things himself.

It was left up to the General to keep track of all the words, ideas and situations that transpired, and give a detailed report back to Snoke at the end of it all, sometimes in person, sometimes over a communication device.

Hux tried his hardest to get things moving along smoothly during these meetings, to keep the topics going with few pauses, but it wasn't always easy.

Some of these people were rather wordy, and would continue speaking long after the usefulness of their point had dissipated.

The man speaking right now was a prime example of this.

He was a Captain, a man that Hux had grudgingly promoted to the position due to the insistence of the Supreme Leader, who had been impressed with the man's work on a recent raid.

Hux listened to him drone on and in, keeping a calm, attentive expression on his face, even though inside he was brimming with disdain for the man.

He noticed how Lt. Tinlak kept clearing his throat as he spoke, as if there was something stuck in it.

Halfway through his rambling, his hand actually went up to neck, fingers seeking across the skin as though trying to release it from a restraint of some sort.

As Hux watched, the Lt.'s eyes rolled back in his head, right before he fell out of his seat and on to the floor.

Hux remained seated, staring calmly for the two officers nearest the Lt. to bring him into med bay.

Lt. Tinlak had gained his knees and was gasping, his chunky jowls quivering with the effort to bring air back into his lungs.

As he was helped from the room, Hux calmly called upon the next person due to speak, a small Captain with a pleasing voice.

As Hux listened to her, he couldn't help but shift his gaze towards Ren.

He couldn't tell through the reflective black he wore over his face, but Hux had the distinct impression that Ren was looking directly at him.

The Captain wrapped up her report, and for Hux, the timing couldn't have been any better.

He had an awful headache, a throbbing pulse that was squeezing tightly all around his skull.

Another ten minutes and he would have been holding his head in his hands, which would have been completely unacceptable to him.

To show weakness, ANY kind of weakness, in front of one's subordinates was inexcusable. 

Even for something as minor as a headache.

Ignoring the pounding, Hux rose from his seat and gave a brief recap of the meeting, assigning tasks to certain people and collecting reports from others.

"Dismissed", he said, watching as the people gathered up their belongings and left, filing nearly out of the room in two's and three's.

Everyone except Ren, who remained seated, arms still clasped together on the table in front of him.

"I must say, General," Ren spoke in his mechanized voice, "Your meetings can be quite--entertaining."

"I can't say that I appreciate you interfering with my time like this, Ren, or with my men."

"Oh, don't give me that, Hux. You were thinking the same thing, you wanted him to shut up just as badly as I did. So I fixed it. You should be thanking me."

"Being an adult is knowing the difference between when to act on your impulses, and when to control them, Lord Ren."

"And being a MAN is knowing when to take care of business and get results, rather than just sitting back and taking the things that bother you, General Hux."

With that he got up and left the room.

That had been earlier that morning, and Hux's headache had dissapayed some since then. 

He had just finished filling out a hefty chunk of damage reports, and was now taking his evening walk around the perimeter of the base, hoping that some fresh air would clear his head.

He passed along the edge of the woods at the far west end of the grounds. He turned the corner of the little stone path and came face to face with Kylo Ren.

Ren was practicing what looked like martial arts movements, his robes fluttering around him as he deftly cut through the air, wielding his lightsaber and attacking invisible foes.

He stopped as he saw the General approaching, switching off his saber and clipping it into his belt.

"What are YOU doing out here?", he asked, a scowl on his face.

"Taking a walk, obviously," Hux said, passing him.

"You seem angry," Ren said from behind him. "Any particular reason why?"

Hux turned around slowly, eyeing him.

"I may be a tad tired," Hux replied, as he began to rattle off the extensive list of papers he had come from filling out, most of which directly related to some act done by Ren.

Ren stopped him halfway through his little speech, shaking his head dismissively. 

"I can't be bothered with such ridiculous bantha fodder," he said, rolling his eyes at the General. "I've got more important things to concern myself with."

"Like what? Waving around your sword at imaginary opponents."

"I'm working on my form. Keeping up with my training is the most important thing to me, maybe the most important thing to this base, period. You'd be wise to remember that, General."

"You'd be wise to remember that my patience can run very thin with your infantile jabbering, so it would be prudent for you not to test me."

"Okay, Armitage. Calm down."

Ren could not have picked a worse thing to say to him. 

Hux despised his first name, and everybody knew that. Including Ren.

Barely holding his temper, Hux narrowed his eyes and came closer to the smirking knight.

"Ok, BEN."

The smile on Ren's face disappeared so fast it was as if someone had taken a cloth and wiped it off.

Perhaps more than Hux hated his first name, Kylo Ren hated his REAL name. The name his parents had given him, the name connected to the identity he had worked tirelessly to dispose of.

In fact, there was even a formal order in place, from Snoke himself, regarding the matter. Nobody in the First Order was allowed to call his apprentice that, by penalty of death.

But Hux was past caring at this point. 

The man had incensed him one time too many, and if he wanted to murder him where he stood, or run off whining to Snoke like a spoiled child, Hux could not care less.

The knight was shaking with rage, his entire body vibrating with his poorly concealed anger. 

"What did you call me?", he asked, his ire making it difficult for him to lift his voice above a whisper.

"You heard me the first time. Ben. Solo."

Before he could properly register what was happening, Ren lit into him with a barrage of savage punches, his heavy fists connecting solidly with Hux's mouth, neck, eyes, chest, and anything else he could reach.

Hux fought back as best he could, but it wasn't easy. Ren outweighed him by nearly 20 pounds and was taller than him by two inches.

He managed to get in a good blow to Ren's lip, watching with a kind of slow motion clarity as the skin split open and blood flew out, making it look as if Ren had applied a lady's lipstick to his smile.

Ren got his hands around Hux's throat, squeezing tightly with a sadistic grin on his bloody face.

The world began to swim in front of Hux's eyes, the colors of the day fading into an oxygen-deprived grayish blue.

He was suddenly aware of air once again going down into his starved lungs, as Ren's body was lifted off of him by two figures in long red robes.

Snoke's personal guards.

Kriff, Hux had time to think as he gasped in air, Snoke is all the way across the base. If he sent his guards that must mean he had a vision of this whole thing. 

Could today get any better?

Hux got into a sitting position, now able to see the two guards who were struggling to hold onto a flailing Ren. 

As Hux watched, the two men suddenly dropped to the ground, simultaneously, as if they'd received a powerful electric shock.

They convulsed on the ground, heads flying back, screaming out in agony.

Hux had gained his feet, and took a staggering step towards Ren, who had his hand held out towards the two men, that wicked smile back on his face.

"Ren!", he yelled, putting as much base into his voice as he could muster. "STOP IT."

"Make me!", he roared back, not taking his attention off of the guards. One after the other, the men stopped breathing and lay still on the ground, the life having been strangled from them.

Hux gathered his strength and dove at Ren in a blind leap. He was lucky; his aim was accurate and he managed to get his arms around Ren's waist and drive him on to his back.

Ren exhaled a loud grunt as he connected with the dirt, looking at Hux incredulously. 

You don't know when to give up, the look said.

Hux wrestled him along the ground, throwing punches when he could and jabbing him with his knees all along his back and abdomen.

Amazingly, he was able to wrestle Ren on to his back again, and held him there, wrists pinned to the ground.

"Get off me!" Ren growled.

"Apologize for calling me Armitage."

"Apologize for calling me Ben!"

"No."

"No?!"

"No. Admit that I beat you."

"You haven't beat me."

"No?", Hux asked with a grin. "Last time I checked, he who is on top is the victor."

"Get. The Kriff. OFF. Of. Me." Ren growled out, glowering at him from a tangle of black hair.

"Make. Me."

Ren got one wrist free, and Hux flinched, thinking Ren was about to throw another punch at him.

What actually happened was something so surprising, Hux's brain couldn't process it, his body didn't know how to react.

Instead of punching him, Ren's free hand reached out and grabbed Hux's head, pulling it down towards him.

He lifted his own head up and roughly pressed his lips into Hux's, letting out a low growl as he did so.

It only lasted a few moments, but it felt like it went on forever. Like time had ground to a halt and the two men were trapped inside the bubble.

Hux was conscious of a thousand things at once, when Ren kissed him.

He was aware of the sound of the wind picking through the tops of the trees above them.

He was aware of the sounds of many footsteps coming towards them, still quite some distance away. The sound of boots. Storm trooper boots.

Most powerfully he was aware of Ren himself.

His soft face. His sweet breath. The gentle way his hand was wrapped around his cheek. 

He could taste the blood from Ren's cut lip, filling his mouth with the metallic taste of iron, of salt.

And then time started again, and he ripped his face forcefully away from Ren's, breathing hard.

Swiftly, he got off of the Knight and to his feet, doing his best to straighten out his near-shredded uniform.

Ren also got to his feet, brushing himself off and staring at Hux with an indecipherable expression on his face.

"Hux . . ."

Before Ren could go any further, storm troopers were rounding the path and running up to them, taking in the visual disarray of the two men with awe.

Nobody seemed to know what to say.

Hux knew, without having to ask, that Snoke had sent these men, too, to break up Ren and Hux after seeing that his own guards would fail.

Oh, Maker--does that mean he saw the--kiss, too? Please Maker, no. There is no way I can explain that, not to myself and certainly not to the Supreme Leader.

Without a word, Ren turned and walked through the small group and towards the base, not bothering to look back to see reactions.

The men surrounded Hux.

"General Hux, are you alright? Do you require assistance to med bay?"

"No. I'm fine. Dismiss."

They stood there a moment longer, as if unsure the General was in the right frame of mind to be waving off the medical attention he obviously needed.

"I said DISMISS!", he snapped out, watching as the men dispersed in a hurry.

When they were out of sight, Hux groaned, feeling along his bruised face and sore throat.

He could feel his left eye twitching imperiously, and knew that it was close to being completely swollen shut. For sure, sometime today or tomorrow a heavy black ring would be surrounding that eye.

He made the decision that the worst of his injuries was the bleeding, something he could more than take care of himself, and therefore didn't need to go to med bay.

In reality he was frantically filling his mind with a thousand thoughts and tasks, to avoid thinking about what had happened with Ren.

He didn't want to think about it.  
Ever.

Unfortunately his mind wasn't in agreement with him, as it replayed the scene of Ren kissing him over and over on a loop, refusing to let go of his memory.

Shut up, shut up, shut up, he chanted angrily to himself, as he walked off towards his quarters.

One thought rose above all the others, burning into his mind and peaking his curiosity.

He used the Force to strangle the two guards. He also had his lightsaber on him; I saw it when I first walked up to him. He could have easily ended my life with either. So why didn't he?

Why?


	4. Chapter 4

Standing in front of the Supreme Leader was an event that Hux never looked forward to, even under the best of circumstances.

Snoke's chambers, or, as Hux referred to it in his head, his 'throne room', was sparsely outfitted, with dark gray walls, metallic pillars place along the length of the room, and one singular window, located on the ceiling directly above Snoke's large black seat. During the day, the sunshine would flow directly on him, highlighting him like some divine God in a history book.

In the evenings, candles were lit all around the room, adorning the floor and throwing scant light across the dimness.

But to Hux, no matter what time of day or night it was, Snoke's chambers always seemed dark, and cold. A deep, penetrating cold that had very little to do with the actual temperature.

Physically, in person, Snoke was not quite as imposing as his oversized hologram would suggest.

He was about the same height as Hux, and thin, with oddly long arms and legs.

His skin was of a grayish-blue tone, which could be frightening if you were seeing it for the first time, but not so bad if you were used to it.

His face was badly scarred across the left side, and his eyes were sunken, glittering jeweled orbs that watched and saw everything with a frightening, calculating clarity.

Like Ren, he always wore lengthy hooded robes, although his were of a dark gray color, matching the tone of his dank, scary chamber walls.

His presence was quite overpowering, even to those who did not give in easily to fear.

He exuded an air of raw power; a palpable, staticky energy that could almost be seen. One always had the feeling that he would strike out at you with no provocation whatsoever.

Hux stood before him now, Kylo Ren at his side, and listened attentively to the well-deserved lecture they were receiving in regards to their brawl.

"You, General, have always been so carefully controlled in your conduct. You are disciplined, detailed, and an excellent leader. To say that I'm disappointed with your behavior would be a gross understatement."

"YOU, Lord Ren, have heard more than once that you need to learn to control your anger, to harness your energy and save it for a worthwhile cause. General Hux IS NOT your enemy."

He paused, eyes searching the bruise-laden faces of the two men before him.

"The both of you are at the very top of my empire. Together. Other than myself, there is not a man or woman in the First Order that holds a higher position than either of you. I cannot stress enough how important it is for you two to put aside personal differences and work together."

"Master, I--"

"You would be wise not to interrupt me, Lord Ren."

"But Master--"

Without warning, Ren's body was flying through the air and slamming with brutal force into one of the metallic pillars in the room. 

He crumpled into a heap on the floor, holding his sides and gasping with pain.

Hux saw this happen, and was startled, but he did not flinch in any way whatsoever. He kept his eyes on the Supreme Leader's face, praying to whoever was listening that he wouldn't inflict the same punishment on HIM.

Reading his thoughts, Snoke smiled in that insidious way of his and stretched his arm out towards Hux.

Immediately, a sickening wave of pain flooded his entire body, dropping him to his knees, hunched over in sheer agony.

Behind him, Ren had started screaming. The still-functioning part of Hux's brain deduced that Snoke was doing the same thing to him.

As suddenly as it had started, the pain stopped; withdrawing from his body in slow increments until he was able to stand on his feet again. He kept his head bowed, not wanting to risk angering Snoke again.

Ren had gained his legs, too, and moved up slowly to stand by Hux once again, eyes cast on the floor.

"I trust that I will not have to have this particular discussion with either of you, again?"

"Yes, Supreme Leader," both men agreed in unison, heads still lowered.

"Good. You both may go."

Both men bowed before him, before turning and walking out of his chambers and into the hallway.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

That next few days were difficult ones for Hux.

His body ached constantly, both from his fight with Ren and from the "lecture" with Snoke.

As hard as they tried not to, all of his Officers couldn't help but stare at his battered face, and Hux was quite sure that they knew the person who was behind the damage.

Word spread quickly about that sort of thing.

Hux had no misconceptions regarding the fact that the Storm Troopers who had been sent to intercede in his and Ren's fight had most likely told others of the scene they had walked in on.

It made him feel somewhat embarrassed, and very angry. 

It would not have been so bad, IF he had managed to damage Ren's face to the extent that Ren had damaged his own. 

Yet aside from one black eye and a quickly healed swollen lip, Ren bore almost no trace of their brawl, and that irked Hux to no end.

Thinking of Ren's busted lip had Hux subconsciously touching his own, and, against his will, he thought of THAT again.

The--kiss.

He knew that Ren wanted to talk to him about it; he had tried to corner him alone after several meetings, only to be deflected by Hux in lieu of "paperwork" and "I'm busy; later." 

Hux was perched in a chair in his sitting room now, in his quarters, reading. It was late, going on 1am, but he was restless and unable to sleep.

Halfway through the 3rd chapter, a light knock on his door startled him.

He got up and stretched, groaning a little. 

It being so late, he thought it was one of his men coming to inform him that a fire had broken out, or they were under enemy fire, or something of that nature.

Instead he opened the door to find Ren standing there, holding his helmet in both hands and looking at Hux anxiously.

"Can I come in?"

"It's rather late, don't you think?"

"Late is only a state of mind," he said, attempting a smile. "And besides, you look wide awake to me."

The General hesitated, then slowly opened his door wider, indicating with his head for Ren to enter.

He moved into the room, looking around himself before going to sit on one of Hux's sofas.

Hux took his time closing the door, trying his hardest to compose his face before turning around and letting Ren see it.

When he was satisfied, he turned around and joined Ren on the sofa, keeping a careful distance away from him.

There was an awkward few moments of silence, and then Ren was leaning over and picking up the book on the table in front of him.

"Legends of Arkanis", he read aloud, flipping through the pages. "Arkanis is your home planet, right?"

"It is."

"Do they mean 'legends' as in, mythical creatures and unexplainable circumstances, or 'legends' as in impressive men and women?"

"Impressive men and women."

"Do you think you'll be in a book like this some day?"

"Honestly, that doesn't interest me. It's more important to be a 'legend' in your own mind."

Ren nodded, closing the book and setting it back down.

"So what do you want, Ren? I'm assuming you didn't come all the way over here, in the middle of the night, to talk literature."

"No, not really."

"Or perhaps you're here to give me a long overdue apology."

"I'm not here to talk about that, Hux. In all fairness you can't exactly say that you didn't deserve it."

"Maybe," Hux replied, his hand absently going to his face. "But so did you."

"Okay, then, we're in agreement on one thing: both of us deserved it."

Hux nodded, a small smile creeping over his face.

"But anyway, that's not what I'm here for. I wanted to, um, apologize for--"

"Ren," Hux stopped him, shaking his head. "No. I know what you're about to say, and no. You don't have to--"

"But--"

"NO. Look, Ren, it's late, and I'm tired. I'm going to pretend you came here to apologize for our fight. Nothing more. Okay, apology accepted. You can leave now."

Ren sat still on his end of the couch, making no move to get up. 

"I'd . . . I'd like to tell you WHY I did that, Hux. If you would let me explain . . ."

Hux held up his hand, stopping Ren from speaking any further.

"Look--Kylo. I'm sorry, but . . . I'm not ready to hear whatever it is you're going to say. As I stated before: you came here to say sorry for banging up my face. Okay. I can accept that," he said, placing emphasis on 'that' so that Ren would understand what he was getting at.

"You've never struck me as one who's afraid to face things, Hux."

"Afraid?!", he spit out contemptuously. "There's a difference between actual fear, and unwillingness to speak on uncomfortable subject matter. I'm choosing the latter."

"What would your reaction be, if I were to do it again?"

"Excuse me?"

"I think you heard me the first time."

Hux's heartbeat picked up drastically, his palms going sweaty. He tried to swallow and he found that it hurt, all the moisture having dried up in his throat.

"Ren," he began; pausing to choose his words carefully. "What happened was just--a mistake. We've--both been very tense, for a long time, and in that moment, it SEEMED like the right thing to do."

"But it wasn't. It was a terrible lapse of judgement on both our parts; your fault for initiating it, and mine for allowing it to happen. And it's something I can't let happen again."

Ren sat looking at him, and suddenly began to laugh; his rich voice filling the quiet little room.

"What are you laughing at now?", Hux demanded angrily.

"You!", Ren replied, snorting. "You talk like a kriffing textbook! And I know I've said this to you before, but you think way too much, and too hard, about everything. It's no wonder you're still awake at this ungodly hour; your brain must never let you sleep!"

"Well if my brain is what's keeping ME up, then what's YOUR excuse, Ren? You haven't any brains at all, yet here you are, wide awake."

Ren laughed harder, tears coming from his eyes, his face a bright red.

"P-please stop, Hux! I'm going to sprain a rib if I keep laughing this hard!"

"Good. You deserve it."

Little by little Ren got himself under control, leaning back on the couch and blowing a stray lock of hair out of his face.

"Okay, okay, I guess I get the message, General. To put it in formal Hux terms: you are not interested in pursuing a personal or romantic connection at this time."

"That's very good, Ren. Maybe I was wrong about you not having brains."

"Thanks. Anyway I'm going to go, now. Try and shut off your head and get some sleep, okay?"

"Yes, yes, I know. Go."

He walked him to the door and out into the hallway, watching as he loped away to his own quarters.

As he shut the door behind him, he couldn't help but feel odd, almost--sad.

They had resolved their matter peaceably, at least for the time being.

They had talked about the kiss, or as close to talking about it as Hux wanted, anyway.

He had made Ren understand that their mutual behavior had been unacceptable and not worth repeating.

Everything had been resolved in an orderly, tied-up way.

So why did he feel so melancholy, standing there with his forehead resting on the doorframe?

How come, more than anything, he wanted to call Ren back, to have him sit on the couch and continue talking to him for the rest of the night?

Why did his quarters suddenly seem so--empty? So absent of feeling and light, and life?

You're just tired, and over-thinking things again, he thought to himself.

If everything worked out the way you wanted, why are you still thinking about Ren? Answer me that, Hux--why?

Because--because maybe, just maybe--you have some kind of--feelings, for him?

"That's ridiculous!" he exclaimed to the empty room, totally unaware that he had spoken out loud.

But it's not ridiculous, that quiet part of his mind whispered again. You're thinking of his face, his lips. How soft they were. How full. And when he kissed you, you were glad it happened. And no matter what you told him, the truth of the matter is, you want it to happen again. More than anything, you want him to kiss you again.

And suddenly, a snippet of their conversation came back to him. Ren had said something to the effect of understanding that Hux did not want to pursue anything with him. But the WAY he said it, well---it seemed like Ren was implying that he himself WAS interested in such a thing.

Hux put his hands to his ears, attempting to block out the steady barrage of words that were emerging from his own mind.

I'm not listening anymore, he thought towards whatever demon part of him that was subjecting him to all this nonsense.

I'm going to bed and I want to hear nothing more about this, do you understand me, Hux?

Silence.

Good.

As he got into his bed and laid his head on his pillow, that tiny voice piped up, quietly,

We'll talk more about this tomorrow.


	5. Chapter 5

Hux tried his hardest not to show fear, as he stood before Snoke once again.

He could not think of a single reason for his having been summoned.

He and Ren had been getting along, the troops were performing well. Construction on the super weapon was proceeding along on schedule.

Everything was fine.

"General Hux," Snoke addressed him, "I'm afraid I've received some bad news from Arkanis this morning. It seems your father passed away two days ago."

Hux blinked, looking at Snoke's face, not really comprehending his words.

"He -- died? How?"

"Apparently he suffered a heart attack."

Snoke got up from his seat, going to Hux and placing a firm hand on his shoulder.

He meant it to be a gesture of comfort, although to Hux, it felt like anything but. He involuntarily stiffened as Snoke's icy cold hand came into contact with his shoulder.

Snoke must have sensed how uncomfortable this made him, so he withdrew his arm and stepped back.

"You'll want to attend his funeral, of course. I'll make arrangements for --"

"No, no," Hux interrupted him, shaking his head. "There's no need for that. I'd much prefer to stay here and get on with my work.

Snoke frowned, looking at his General with skepticism.

"Are you quite certain, General?"

"I've never been so certain of anything in my life, Supreme Leader."

"Very well. However I insist you take the next week away from your command, to give yourself time to recover from this blow."

"That's not necess-"

"Nonsense," Snoke cut across his protests, going back to sit on his chair. "I've already made arrangements for Captain Phasma and Captain Oryego to take over your duties until you return, with Ren supervising if necessary. One week, General. I insist."

"Yes, Supreme Leader," Hux replied, gritting his teeth. "Thank you."

Snoke nodded, watching Hux with his shrewd eyes.

"You may go."

-.-.-.-.-

The next day a box arrived for him from Arkanis, via a currier. Hux took it to his quarters, sitting down on the floor with it and opening it.

Inside was a plethora of his father's property papers, tickets of sale for various items, and the like. There were also a variety of things from Hux's old room back home, such as Academy awards, certificates, progress reports, and such.

As he was digging though the box, a knock came on his door.

"Come in," he called, not at all surprised to see Ren enter the room. He pulled off his mask and set it on an end table by the door. 

He then walked over to where Hux was sitting, hesitated, and then sat down cross-legged in the space across from him.

Neither man spoke for a few moments, and then Ren was saying, somewhat awkwardly, "I heard about your father. I'm sorry to hear it."

He put his hand timidly on Hux's shoulder, squeezing lightly. Unlike Snoke, Ren's hand was very warm, and gentle, and the gesture did bring him some comfort. Ren must have been worried about making Hux uncomfortable, though, because he quickly removed his hand, folding it together with his other one in his lap.

Hux shrugged, saying nothing.

"So--you're really not going to his funeral?"

"No."

"Can I ask why? Or is that too personal a question?"

Hux rolled his eyes, continuing to sift carefully through papers. "It's not personal, and it's not a big deal. I just don't see the point in going."

Ren watched him, saying nothing.

"We didn't really get along."

"You had nothing in common?"

"No, actually, quite the contrary; we had too much in common. Far too alike. It's very difficult to get along with someone who's just as hard-headed as you are."

"I can understand that," said Ren, rubbing the back of his neck. "My--mother used to tell me that my father and I were exactly alike, although neither of us would admit that to the other."

"Anyways, I haven't seen him in better than five years. There's really no point in going to his funeral. I'll just have my assistant send flowers or something to his wife, if he still had one, that is."

"Is that your mother?"

"No, his wife wasn't my mother. My mother passed shortly after I was born. His wife is some young thing he picked up in a cantina somewhere. I never met her but I've seen holos of her; she looks younger than me."

"That's interesting," said Ren.

"It's disgusting, is what it is. But I suppose I don't have to think about them being together anymore, do I? Unless of course she's a necrophiliac or something."

Ren made a face at Hux's words. "Now THATS disgusting. Who actually does things like that?!"

"You'd be surprised, really. Our galaxy is filled with all sorts of interesting sentients."

Ren was still for a while, watching as Hux sifted through the papers and trinkets in the box. When he spoke again, it was quiet, contemplative.

"Do you ever wonder what your mother was like?"

Hux looked up at him, brow furrowed. He thought a little about his answer before speaking.

"I have, but not as much as you might think. I never knew her, and my father rarely spoke of her. I was 10 before I even learned her first name."

He rubbed his temples a little, trying to relieve the headache he could feel forming there, before he continued.

"I've never even seen a holo of her. The only thing I can picture is a woman with red hair, like mine. She MUST have been a redhead, because my father's hair is dark brown, so I didn't inherit it from him."

Ren nodded in agreement.

"What about you?" Hux asked suddenly, curious. "Do you ever think of your mother?"

Ren sighed and closed his eyes. He was silent for so long that Hux didn't think he would answer.

When he spoke, his voice was low, so low that Hux had to lean towards him a little to hear him.

"I do. But I don't think of her the way she is now. General of the Resistance and all that. I think of her, like she was when I was 5 or so. While I was still living at home."

"Still living at home?"

"Yes. They, my mother and--father, sent me to live and train with my Uncle Luke when I was about seven years old. Train as a -- Jedi."

"Seven seems really young for that, Ren."

"Actually, seven is quite old, in Jedi terms. Most people start training at 4 or so, but I didn't want to go. I didn't want to leave my parents, and I didn't want to be a Jedi."

"Not that it stopped them from sending me anyway," he concluded, with a bitter laugh.

Hux was silent for a while, gazing thoughtfully at the confusing man sitting on the floor across from him.

It's no wonder he seems so angry all the time, Hux thought to himself. 

Or why it feels like he has such a hard time trusting people. 

He was pushed away as a child by those he loved most, into a life he didn't want.

"It wasn't quite like that," Ren stated softly, having heard what was in Hux's mind. 

"My parents, at the time they were doing what they thought was the best thing for me. I know it broke my mother's heart to send away her only child, but in her mind, she saw no other options."

"She could see that I was already strong with the Force, and she didn't want me going down the path her father did. So she sent me to the one person she trusted more than anyone, her brother. She had no way of knowing how badly things would turn out."

Hux remained silent, contemplating Ren's words.

"And besides," Ren continued, looking at him, "Its not like I was away all the time. I came home for a few weeks every year. Although, as I grew older, my mother got more involved with the Senate and my father with his smuggling activities, so coming home was always like coming to visit two strangers, not family."

Suddenly, horribly, Hux felt the strongest urge flow through his body, in a powerful jolt.

He wanted to scoot towards Ren and wrap his arms around him. To hold him tightly, to run his fingers through his dark locks.

To kiss him.

The feeling was so strong, so tangible, that Hux wasn't sure that he hadn't voiced his desire out-loud.

He looked up and found that Ren was looking directly at him, and Hux knew, he KNEW that Ren was feeling the same desire that he was. Ren leaned towards him, just slightly, and Hux felt his heartbeat pick up. For a second, just a bare moment of time, it felt as though Ren was going to kiss him, again.

Instead, Ren stood up quickly and walked towards the door, grabbing his helmet from the table. 

"I should go," he said, looking down at his feet. "I'm due to train with Snoke in half an hour."

Hux nodded, watching as Ren stood by his door. His hand hovered over the button as he paused, looking back at where Hux still sat on the floor.

"I'll come back, maybe. Since you've got all this time on your hands, I'm sure you'll get bored. Maker knows I'll be bored without you around to annoy."

He clicked his mask into place over his head and left, the doors wooshing shut behind him.

Hux sat and stared at the place where Ren had been sitting for a long time, thinking of so many things at once that he felt a little dizzy with it all.

Then he shook his head, clearing it as he continued to sort through his father's box.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Ren returned the next evening, this time full of complaints about a meeting that Snoke had forced him to oversee.

"Honestly, Hux, I never realized before how tedious your job is. I can hardly stand to sit through one of those meetings as a spectator, let alone the moderator! And Snoke is so particular about wanting to know every single detail! If I didn't feel like he'd kill me for saying so, I'd tell him he needs to go to these things himself."

Hux leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and smiling. "Welcome to my world, Ren."

"Your world is boring. I prefer my own."

Hux opened his eyes and looked at him. "Honestly, I couldn't do what you do, either. I don't think I could spend so much time alone with Snoke, every day. And I'm positive I wouldn't have control of the Force the way you do."

"It's not that hard, really. It's a matter of focus, and concentration. You're already a master at those two things."

"Still. Isn't a large part of it centered around using your 'feelings'? I'm not so great with that."

"You've got a point there. You're probably one of the most closed-off people I've ever met."

Hux looked at him, choosing not to respond to Ren's (accurate) observation.

Instead, he branched out into a new topic.

"So how's the new weapon coming?"

"It's a work in progress, I guess. I've been down there twice this week, to check up on the construction and, as Snoke put it, offer 'encouragement'."

"Encouragement", Hux repeated, enunciating each syllable. "You mean, such as a pat on the back and a 'Great job!'?"

"More like silent staring while holding a flaming lightsaber."

Both men laughed at this.

"Those poor engineers. They're used to seeing ME; I can imagine how it must have been, seeing your mask and cape and lightsaber."

"Well, motivation can take on many forms. Some of which can be scary."

A question rose to the top of Hux's mind.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yes?"

"I've always wondered--why DO you wear that thing on your face?"

Ren seemed surprised by the question, and he took a few moments before answering.

"Well," he said slowly, "Part of it IS an intimidation tactic, I suppose. People tend to be terrified of that which they can't see."

"But if I'm being really honest, I'd admit that it's mostly in homage to my grandfather. He wore one, too--but you already knew that."

Hux frowned, shaking his head slightly. "I can understand part of that, I guess, but, and forgive me if I'm wrong, didn't Darth Vader NEED his helmet? For medical reasons?"

"That's true."

"You, YOU don't NEED it, though."

"I would agree with you, except there's a third factor here that does necessitate my 'need' for my mask."

"Which is?"

Looking pointedly at Hux, Ren ran his fingers across the length of his face, moving most slowly over his scar. 

"Isn't it obvious? I need it for my aesthetic deficiencies."

"Are you seriously saying that --"

"Yes. Obviously. I'm saying that I'm  
ugly. Believe me, the mask only improves matters."

Hux just stared at him in disbelief. 

Did Ren truly believe what he said, or was he being sarcastic?

Looking at him, Hux saw that he was being honest.

"You--have quite a skewed perception of reality, Ren," he said, getting up and going into the kitchen to pour himself more tea.

"What do you mean?" Ren asked from the other room.

Hux walked back in and sat down beside him.

"I mean, you're not unattractive in the least."

Ren turned away quickly, occupying himself with the fringe of his robe; but not before Hux had seen the wide red blush that had spread across his face.

"Thanks," he mumbled, not looking up.

They sat for awhile in a not-quite-awkward silence, until Ren spoke again.

"Can I ask YOU something?"

"Yes?"

"I've known you for about 10 years now, right?"

"Correct."

"In all this time, I've never once seen you form any kind of romantic attachment or relationship with anyone. Why is that?"

Hux bit his lower lip, a little surprised by the question.

"I don't know," Hux said slowly, fiddling with his tea cup. "It's honestly something that's never crossed my mind. I have so little time, for one. Second, I'm not sure Snoke would 'encourage' such a thing."

"Several of the officers are partnered up with each other, and Snoke knows about THEM."

"But their position is not the same as mine. I have more responsibilities than any of them; it would be foolish to let something as trivial as romance interfere with my job."

He looked over at Ren.

"What about YOU, Ren?"

"Same, I suppose. Too many responsibilities, not enough time."

"Are Dark side Force users the same as Jedi, in the aspect that--"

"Yes, and no. On the one hand we're not taught to suppress our feelings, the way Jedi are. On the other hand, the acquisition of Power should be our most sought-after goal. Falling in love doesn't quite fit into that whole situation."

"No, I suppose it wouldn't."

"Sometimes, though, things like that, like--like love, just HAPPEN. They happen and you can't explain them. And sometimes, it's impossible to fight against them."

Ren was looking at him now, his dark compelling eyes piercing into his; and Hux knew, he KNEW what he was about to say.

"Hux--"

"No, Ren," he said softly, shaking his head. "I can't. WE can't."

Ren sat silently, before moving closer to Hux.

"I can feel something between us, Hux. It's so strong, I know you can feel it, too. I feel it and I can't keep on ignoring it."

"I can."

"Why?"

The small space that was still left between them was all but vibrating with the intensity of the moment. Hux had the distinct impression that, if he were to reach out and touch Ren right now, he would receive a walloping shock.

"Ren," Hux said, his voice shaking just a bit, "Please--you need to get up and walk out of here, before it's too late."

"It's already too late," Ren whispered, inching even closer. He gently cupped Hux's cheek with his strong, gentle hand, and turned his face towards him. Hux's heart throbbed in his ears loud enough to drown out all other sounds as Ren inclined his head towards him, and their lips were joined softly together.

Unlike the last time, Hux didn't pull away. As much as his mind was screaming at him about how dangerous this was, how ridiculous, he could not force his body to pull away from Ren's.

He used his hands to gently push Ren backwards into the sofa. He climbed on top of him, one knee on either side of the knight's narrow hips, and began kissing him without restraint; softly at first and then harder, more aggressive. Ren moaned into his mouth, fueling Hux's desire even more.

Ren's hands were clutching at him, desperately pulling him closer, little cries of pleasure mixed with Hux's name whispered into the redhead's ear, like a prayer, in-between kisses. Hearing Ren's voice so choked with lust and desire sent powerful jolts of electricity rocketing through Hux's thin frame.

Hux moved his lips to Ren's neck, kissing along his throat and jaw. He sank his teeth into the soft spot just below Ren's ear, and Ren shuddered beneath him, moaning again before roughly pulling Hux's head back up to his lips, exploring his mouth with his tongue.

A sudden loud knock on the door startled both of them, and Hux jerked up so hard that he all but fell to the floor.

He quickly straightened, and climbed off of Ren, walking towards the door with his heart pounding. He had an absurd notion that it was Snoke, that Snoke had envisioned what they were doing and had come down himself to punish them.

He was beyond relieved when he pressed the button to slide open the door, and found one of the service droids there, instead.

"Good evening Sir, I have your dry cleaning as per your weekly request," the droid said, holding out several uniforms covered with plastic.

"Thank you. Good evening," said Hux, taking the garments and closing the door. He walked with shaky legs to the closet and hung them up, one by one.

Ren watched him from the couch, his clothes and hair a disheveled mess. He sat looking as though he wanted to say something, but wasn't sure how to proceed.

Hux came over and sat down beside him again. Neither said anything for a few moments; then Hux took a deep breath, reached out and grabbed Ren's hand, lacing their fingers together and giving it a tight squeeze.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay. Let's--give this a try. Whatever this is--I like it."

"I like it too," said Ren, smiling, gripping Hux's hand tighter.

"We'll have to be careful though, Ren. You know that. None of this can happen in public. And Snoke can't find out. And--"

"You're overthinking again," Ren interrupted him, leaning over to stop his words with a kiss.

And then another. 

And another.

Until there were no coherent thoughts left in Hux's brain at all.

Which, oddly, he didn't mind in the least.


	6. Chapter 6

"Captain Phasma; are all the squadron leaders briefed on the new training regiments?"

"Yes, General. Plans to proceed with the improved regiments will commence today."

"Excellent. Thank you, you may go now."

The Captain saluted him before walking out of his office, the doors closing behind her.

When she was gone, Hux leaned back in his chair, massaging his fingers over his tired eyes.

The week had been a particularly busy one for him.

Snoke had decided that a complete overhaul in the way that the storm troopers were trained for combat was necessary, and Hux had spent days tirelessly working with the captains and developing a new system of physical and weapons training methods, which were to be implemented today.

Construction on the weapon had ground to a halt for 3 long days, due to one of the contractors having requisitioned the wrong parts for part of the base. 

Hux and two of his assistants had painstakingly gone over every single piece of the schematics, trying to deduce where the error was made, and what parts needed to be ordered to correct it.

THAT had been an especially long, tiresome day.

On top of everything else there were the usual endless meetings to preside over. 

Hux had secretly been working on a plan to combine the multiple meetings into several smaller ones. 

They would be spread out over more days, but, if his thinking was correct, less actual time would be spent attending each one, thereby opening up a chance for increased productivity in other areas of the base.

He just had to wait until he worked out some of the finer details, before presenting his idea to Snoke.

Yet despite all of this, despite how busy he was, how tired he often felt---he could not recall a time in his life when he had been happier, or more at peace with himself.

And it was due entirely to Ren.

Their relationship started off slowly, with each taking some time to get used to the other's personality and mannerisms--and with the mere concept of being 'in a relationship' to begin with.

But they were patient with each other, and gradually, a great thing began to bloom between the two.

Both men had been on the brink of emotional and physical starvation by the time they made the decision to be together, and it showed. It showed in the frequent, somewhat desperate way they clung to one another, hugging, kissing, touching. 

When they were alone, Hux found it difficult to keep his hands off of Ren, and Ren strongly reciprocated his desires.

Their first time being completely, carnally intimidate with each other had been an intense, albeit awkward experience for them both.

Neither had navigated the waters of love-making with another male before, and it took some time getting used to each other's bodies, and fitting them  
together in a way that was comfortable and pleasurable for both of them.

Hux had been amazed with Ren's body, the first time he had seen it totally free from all the robes and wrappings that he wore.

It was like a map, his pale skin  
etched with an intricate mixture of deep lightsaber scars and dark little moles.

"I know how awful it looks," Ren had said self-consciously that first time, head hung as he traced his scars with his long fingers.

Hux had stared at him, feeling unable to cope with such magnificence. 

Beautiful.

That was the only word that would come to Hux's stunned mind.

Beautiful.

He couldn't speak so he shouted the word loudly, repeatedly, in his mind, knowing that Ren could hear him.

Beautiful.

Then he had taken Ren into his arms, and set forth to explore the places the map had marked for him on the delicate parchment of his skin.

They had been quiet afterwards, laying together in Hux's small bunk, his head on Ren's soft shoulder.

He reached up and ran his fingers delicately through his lover's black curls, his other hand tracing over the features of his face.

"What are you doing?" Ren had mumbled sleepily, exhaling sweet warm breath that tickled Hux's fingertips.

"I'm memorizing you. Obviously."

He felt Ren roll his eyes underneath his fingers.

"It's getting late; do you want me to leave?"

"If you try, I'll shoot you with my blaster."

"But what if someone sees me leave here in the morning? I think they'll put two and two together, Hux."

"So you'll leave a little earlier."

"I'm not an early morning person."

"Then you'll never leave, ever. Neither will I. Is that better?"

"That hardly seems plausible. You know if Snoke --"

Hux leaned over him, stopping his words with a kiss. 

"Who's overthinking now?" Hux mumbled into Ren's mouth, sliding his hand down the knight's sensitive, quivering thigh.

That had been weeks ago, and their attraction to each other had grown ever since.

The heavy physical connection aside, both men found in each other a strong means of camaraderie, and friendship, that had eluded them  
for so many years.

Which was not to say that everything was perfect.

Both men still had flaws that the other needed to learn to accept and overcome. For Hux, it was Ren's self-centered and often childish demeanor. For Ren, it was Hux's stubborn insistence to adhere to order and regulation; that, and the way he over-thought about everything.

But the qualities that had once agitated the two men became endearing ones, things to work on slowly rather than try to annihilate all at once.

Hux found that he could talk to Ren about anything, and he appreciated the way he attentively listened, even if his responses were different from what Hux expected to hear. 

The more time they spent with each other, the more difficult Hux found it to be away from Ren, even for very brief time periods. 

Conversely, it was harder still to have Ren around; or, at least it was so in public.

The two men were careful to a fault with the way they interacted with each other around the base, and in the presence of other people. 

They spoke to each other with the same professionalism they had always used, except now there was an undercurrent of electricity flowing between the two of them, sometimes making it difficult to concentrate, or keep the proper amount of distance between them when they occupied the same area.

Hux often wondered if Ren felt the same kind of urgency, of need, that he did, in public. If his arms trembled with the urge to reach out and touch him, the way Hux's did for Ren. 

Every single time he saw Ren, even from a distance, his heart began to pound wildly, as if the organ had a mind of its own and was trying to call out to him.

Luckily for Hux his self control, combined with years of steady self-deprivation, made it easy for him to control his urges, until they were in the privacy of one or the other's quarters.

The very first time Hux had gone to Ren's quarters, he had been vaguely appalled.

His rooms were in such a state of sloppy disarray that Hux could hardly find the floor. He had spent over an hour cleaning and rearranging, and forcing the knight to help him do so, despite his reluctance.

"It's not THAT bad," Ren had protested, his arms loaded down with robes and tunics that Hux was busily picking off the floor.

"Not that bad?!" Hux had repeated, looking at him. "Ren, I'm finding ration wrappers here from things that the mess hall hasn't had in stock for WEEKS, now!"

Ren pouted, dropping the clothes into the proper receptacle for transport to washing. 

"Well, why can't we just get a cleaning droid in here, then? Seriously Hux you know I don't have time for these insignificant matters, and --"

"Yes, yes, I know," Hux interrupted him absently. "But it won't kill you to learn a little neatness, will it?

"It might."

"Well, we'll risk it," Hux had replied, stopping to drop a kiss on Ren's cheek before moving on to tackle the kitchen.

"Sometimes I really hate you, you know that?" Ren called out to him from the living room.

"I know. Same."

-.-.-.-.-

Hux made his way to the prisoner interrogation room, where Ren was attempting to extract information from a rebel spy they had intercepted two days ago.

He entered the room and stood in the shadows, unseen to the prisoner, and watched as Ren moved in a slow circle around him.

"Your dedication to your cause is commendable. But you must understand, by now, that resistance is futile."

The man watched Ren move closer to him, unable to move against the restraints of the device he was chained into. He watched, but refused to speak.

"Your silence is deafening," Ren said mockingly, his voice taking on a more sinister tone through the voice modulator of his mask. "But if you refuse to cooperate, I'll just take what I want from you."

Ren stretched out his gloved hand towards the prisoner, drawing his head forwards toward him using the Force, before slamming it back roughly into the steel of the chair.

"The plans you were found with. Somebody gave them to you. Who?"

"We will not be intimidated by the likes of you, the monster of the First Order," the man said, struggling against his restraints.

Ren paused, stretching out his arm again.

"We'll see."

The man's head pressed forward once again towards Ren's hand, his forehead almost touching Ren's palm. He began to scream, his pain-flooded shrieks reverberating around and around the dark little room.

At last his head fell back, and Ren withdrew his hand.

Ren pressed a button on the wall, and a group of storm troopers entered the room from the door opposite where Hux stood.

"Two of you take him to a holding cell." Ren commanded, watching as they unfastened the man's ties and carried his limp body between them. 

"The rest of you, go down to the weapon engineering room, and hold all the people inside. Nobody goes in or out until I arrive. Understood?"

"Yes, my Lord," they said, moving away quickly to obey his command.

When they were gone, Hux stepped out of the shadows and towards Ren. Even with the mask on, Hux could tell Ren was surprised to see him there.

"What are you doing here?" he asked him through his distorted voice.

"It just occurred to me; you see me work all the time, yet I've never once seen the way you operate. I can't deny that I'm impressed, Ren."

"Your admiration can wait for another time, General. We have a serious matter to attend to."

"Which is?"

"That prisoner was caught with plans to the super weapon. He got them from one of our own engineers. We have a spy in our organization."

Hux looked at Ren, immediately taking in the seriousness of the situation.

"Were you able to find out who it was?"

"Yes. It's Captain Lamise. I'm on my way down there now, to see if this breach extends to any other personnel down there."

"Let's go," says Hux, as the two men walked out of the room and down to engineering.

When they got there, storm troopers were guarding the entrances, and had all of the engineers standing in a line, looking confused and scared.

The guards stepped aside as Ren and Hux entered, and the room fell deadly silent.

Waving his hand across the room, Ren effortlessly immobilized every single engineer that was lined up before him.

They watched him with terrified eyes as he stood in front of each of them, stretching his hand out towards each, tilting his head as he read their thoughts.

When he came across something that peaked his interest, he had a storm trooper pull the individual's frozen body out of line, until he had 4 statues lined up separately in front of him.

He came to Captain Lamise last, standing for a long time in front of the man and staring at him through his old metal eyes.

Without warning, he pulled his lightsaber from his belt and ignited it, holding the tip of the fiery blade inches from the Captain's face.

"You've given rebel spies plans to our weapon, Captain. You are, in fact, a spy yourself. So are these other men," he said, gesturing to the smaller line behind him. "Do you deny these charges?"

He released his hold on the man's mouth so he could answer.

"No, my Lord."

"I must say I admire your honesty, although, coming from rebel scum, I'm not sure it means all that much."

He lowered his blade a bit, glaring directly into the Captain's face.

"These men here, you managed to convince them to aid you in your treason. Pawns. A shame, though, that they will have to submit to the punishment that accompanies such an act."

Walking away, he stood in front of each of the four trembling men. One by one, he plunged his saber through each of their hearts, ending their lives.

When he was through, he walked back in front of the Captain. 

"You and you," he pointed to two guards, "Take him to a holding cell."

"Don't get too comfortable, Captain; before the day is over you'll be brought before the Supreme Leader for questioning."

He watched as the two led the man away.

He waved his hand again, releasing his hold on the rest of the frozen men. 

They watched him in a fearful silence, as he paced slowly back and forth in front of them.

"The rest of you are spared by the grace of your innocence to this matter. But let this be a lesson for the future: anyone who betrays The First Order faces death. There is no other way. Is that understood?"

The men all nodded in unison, keeping their eyes on the floor.

"Now, I'm sure you've all had quite an eventful day. You may all take the rest of the afternoon off. "

"You may go."

The men cautiously stepped around him, and over the bodies of the slain men, to leave, some looking back over their shoulders fearfully at Ren.

To the remaining storm troopers, he said "Take these men and dispose of them, then, dismiss."

He watched as the storm troopers picked up the dead off the floor and carried them out, until it was just him and Hux left in the room.

Ren pulled off his helmet, taking a deep breath as he ran his fingers through his hair.

Hux had remained silent, all this time, as he had watched the way Ren dealt with the situation at hand. He couldn't deny that he was proud of him, for remaining so level-headed. Proud, and impressed.

"You did a good job, catching that, before it escalated any further than it did."

Ren smiled a little, coming closer to Hux.

"Thank you. Before the week is over, remind me to visit our head of security. I need to make sure that they're paying attention to possible breaches like that, to ensure it doesn't happen again."

"Do you think this was an isolated incident?"

"I'm not sure," Ren replied, folding his arms over his chest. "All the rest of the men here genuinely had no idea what was going on with the others. But you never know. It probably won't hurt to check out some other departments, as well."

"You're right."

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Honestly, I can't deny how impressed I am with you right now."

Ren blushed, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "It's my job. That's it."

"Still."

Ren raised his hand, activating the button that locked the two sets of doors to the room.

"Telling me is one thing, General," he said in a low voice, backing Hux into the wall with a grin on his face. "Id much rather you showed me."

Hux wrapped his arms around Ren's shoulders, bringing his face up to the other man's.

"Maker, I hate you," he said, sighing as he let Ren aggressively claim his mouth with his full, strong lips.


	7. Chapter 7

Hux woke up in a cold sweat, breathing harshly, his eyes darting all around the dark room.

He panicked for a moment, as he felt a heavy weight leaning against his side. Cautiously, he reached behind him, and brushed against a handful of Ren's thick hair.

Carefully, twisting himself around slowly so that he wouldn't wake him, Hux shifted his position in order to face his lover.

His pale skin stood out from the darkness of the room, eyes closed, breathing deeply in and out.

Heart still pounding from his nightmare, Hux stretched his fingertips towards the knights face, softly grazing across his handsome features. Even in the dark, even barely aware, Hux was blown away by how beautiful Ren was. Unfair, that the Maker had put so much divine effort into one single person. Also unfair (to others, anyway) that such intoxicating beauty belonged to Hux alone.

Just a dream, he thought to himself. Just a dream, just a dream. It's just--it's late and you've been working too hard lately. You're fine. Ren's fine. Go back to sleep.

He took his hand away from Ren's face, hesitated, and then brought both his arms around his shoulders, holding him as tightly as he could.

Ren began to stir, just a bit. His eyelids fluttered open and he blinked, seeing how suddenly close Hux's face was to his own.

"What's wrong?" he mumbled sleepily.

Hux didn't answer, he only buried his face in Ren's chest, burrowing into his warmth.

"Hux--you're shaking like a leaf!" Ren exclaimed, sounding more awake now. Are you cold? Should I go get you more blankets?"

He began to pull away from Hux to get up, only to be yanked back down into his arms.

"No, no, I'm okay," Hux whispered against his skin. "I just--I had that dream again."

Ren was silent, his long arms wrapping themselves around Hux's still-vibrating frame.

"So which of us died this time? he asked in a light tone, trying to push back the seriousness of the moment.

Hux glared up at him. "It's not funny, you know. Take that smile off of your face."

Ren sighed. 

"I know it's not funny. But I'd rather make a joke of it than take it seriously. I'm not prepared to give into panic like that."

Hux was quiet for a long time. He laid his head on Ren's chest and listened to his steady heartbeat, the rhythmic thumps soothing him more than Ren's words did.

"It was you this time," Hux finally answered. "Snoke killed you with a lightsaber. I was watching, but he had me frozen in place. I couldn't run, I couldn't scream. I couldn't save you."

"Hux, it was just a dream," Ren said quickly, fighting hard to keep the anxiety out of his own voice. "It doesn't mean anything, okay?"

"Everything means something."

"Well, THAT doesn't. Actually, I think I read somewhere that bad dreams are just people coming face to face with their worst fears. Apparently, your fear is losing me. Which is absurd, by any account."

"How is that absurd, exactly?"

"Because there are so many other things you could choose to worry over. So many more important things than me."

Hux shook his head in disbelief.

"Sometimes--I feel like you're unaware of just how much you actually mean to me."

"I--I keep waiting for the day that you'll wake up. Like this is all something you're dreaming, and soon you'll wake up and it'll go back to the way things were between us."

"You've got that backwards, Ren. YOU'RE the dream; you're the unobtainable crown that people would kill to wear on their heads. You're so beautiful that sometimes it's physically painful to look at you. But once I started looking, I couldn't take my eyes off of you. And I still can't."

"Force, Hux," Ren whispered, and Hux could feel his face heat up in a blush underneath his hands. "That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me."

Hux was quiet, wanting to say something else so badly, but afraid to. Afraid because neither had said it to the other yet, or had spoken the actual words out-loud. It was a heavy thing, and saying it (and meaning it) was a big step for both of them.

Before he could get up his nerve, Ren leaned over and murmured into his ear "I love you, Armitage Hux."

Hux felt like he would faint; as though all the pathways in his body were suddenly crammed with an overpowering flood of pure happiness.

"I love you, Kylo Ren."

He leaned up to kiss him, lacing his fingers through the black waterfall of Ren's hair. He smiled as Ren moaned softly into his mouth--and then he pulled away, frowning a bit.

"Wait--did you just call me Armitage? Again? Didn't you learn your lesson after last time?"

"I'm a slow learner," Ren said with a delicious grin on his face. "Perhaps I need a teacher."

"Perhaps you do," Hux replied, as he pulled the covers over both of their heads before sinking into another passionate kiss.

"Class is in session."

-.-.-.-.-.-

"Loyalty. Tenacity. Perseverance.. These three attributes embody what it means to be a part of the First Order. Our organization has been tirelessly dedicated to the goal of bringing Order and Discipline to the chaos that effects the galaxy. We stand here today, on the threshold of a new era. A new day is dawning, one which shall witness the rise of The First Order as the most feared power in our universe. This weapon will help usher in an area of total subjugation from those who would oppose of. Planets, people and entire systems will bow before the might of the First Order. And now, witness for yourself the fearsome firepower of First Order domination!

Hux paused, gazing out into the crowd at the rapt faces and attentive postures of all who stood before him, storm troopers, officers, and the like.

Construction had finally ended on the super weapon, and a weapons test was imminent. Snoke had ordered him to give a speech on the significance of the achievement, in front of all members of the Order.

He stood on a platform high above the crowd, the breeze blowing his greatcoat back behind in.

Kylo Ren stood to his left, flanked by a group of the highest ranking officers. Snoke was present via hologram, his gigantic image projected unto a screen behind him.

They had chosen a small, uninhabited moon on which to conduct their test, one that was easily viewable in the sky from where everyone stood.

Hux took a deep breath, all eyes on him as he prepared to give the order.

"Ready!"

A powerful rumbling shook the ground, as the weapon began to charge, pulling down a swirl of fire from the sun. All of the light in the air was focused on this one point, darkening the rest of the sky into a premature gray dusk.

"Fire!"

A deafening roar shook over the grounds, enveloping all who stood there. The line of light and fire travelled out in a swirling, hypnotic flare, blindingly bright, towards the direction of the moon.

All heads craned upwards as everyone watched in a reverent silence. The beam came into contact with the moon and obliterated it, chunks of rock and fire visible even from here, falling in a graceless arc from the point of impact.

Silence, and then everybody cheered, the roar almost as overwhelming as the sound made by the weapon.

Hux moved aside as Snoke's hologram behind him began to speak, emphasizing the victory of the day.

What happened next would haunt Hux's already-troubled dreams for years, long after the conscious memory of the event had faded into obscurity.

It happened so quickly, but to Hux, everything seemed to move in slow motion.

He was walking to the side, to stand by Ren and his officers, when a shout rose above the listening cried, ardently, passionately,

"Long live the Rebellion!"

A storm trooper had broken out of formation and cocked his blaster, aimed at Hux's heart. He pulled off his helmet with lightning speed and pulled the trigger, a smile on his face.

Before Hux could react, or so much as duck, Kylo Ren had thrown his body in front of Hux's, knocking him to the ground, the air going out of his lungs.

The path of the blaster bolt tore a wide cut from Ren's thigh to his chest, shredding his robe. Blood began to pour out immediately, soaking into the marble of the platform.

Everything that occurred after that seemed like some hazy dream.

He was vaguely aware of the rogue trooper being disarmed by those nearest him, and wrestled to the ground.

He saw himself kneeling beside Ren, pulling off his helmet and frantically shaking his face, trying to revive him, because he had passed out. 

He could see himself pressing two shaking fingers to the vein in Ren's neck, then his wrist, feeling for a pulse.

He heard his voice shouting commands to bring Ren to med bay, and he felt his legs carry him along with the men to med bay.

He watched numbly as the medical droids undressed Ren, and addressed his wound. He had to look away as they sewed together the torn pieces of flesh, feeling sick to his stomach.

Ren, you idiot. Why did you DO that?

"Because he's in love with you, General. Or he thinks he is."

Hux turned around slowly, heart thudding painfully in his chest as he came face to face with the Supreme Leader.

He wasn't sure what to say, whether to confirm Snoke's theory, or vehemently deny everything.

"It's alright, General. I know. I've known for quite some time. Both of your thoughts betray you."

Hux stood still, heart still pounding, looking Snoke in the eye. Try as he might, he could not bring himself to speak.

"I've ignored this for a long time, General, because I believe no harm would come from it. I can't deny that Ren has been calmer, more easily focused as of late, due entirely, I believe, to 'this'.

"But, General," he continued, his voice dropping lower, "This is dangerous. He will recover from this wound; but it could have been more serious. Far more serious. He would do anything for you, even die. And I feel that you would do the same for him. And I can't have that. I can't lose my apprentice to some ridiculous act of 'love'. Nor can I lose you, my General, the most intelligent and strategic mind that I have here."

"Supreme Leader, with all due respect--"

"Don't interrupt me, General," Snoke said in an oddly kind voice, his hand going to Hux's shoulder. "My patience is not so tempered as you may think."

Hux nodded silently, cringing against the feel of Snoke's hand on his shoulder.

"I've made a decision. I feel that the best thing for everyone involved would be a separation, of sorts. The work on my new base on Lah'mu has neared completion, and I'm sending you to assume command there. The base will be a center where stormtroopers will receive specialized training and conditioning, before being sent to my army here. I have confidence that you will be successful there."

"While you are there, Captain Phasma will be promoted to General of this base, and assume your prior duties."

Hux stood numbly, in disbelief of what he was hearing. Lah'mu? That--that was at least 4 systems away from here.

"And General; while you are away, I want you to have no contact whatsoever with Lord Ren. You two are too much of a distraction to each other, and it is limiting you from reaching your highest potential for the First Order."

"Supreme Leader," Hux said, finding his voice, "What if I refuse? Would you kill me?" Hux braced himself for Snoke's response, fearing his reaction to his bold words.

Instead of lashing out, Snoke merely smiled in that horrible way of his. It was wise, deadly, and did not touch his eyes.

"No. But I'll kill Kylo Ren. He will be hard to replace, but not entirely unreplaceable. A weak disciple is of no use to me."

Hux felt his knees go weak, and had to lean heavily against the wall, trying to gather his strength.

In his head he saw his dream again, the picture of Snoke running a lightsaber through Ren's chest, and his own chest ached fiercely with the awful imagery.

He could bear his own death, but not Ren's. 

Not Ren's.

"I'll go," he said quietly. "But you have to give me your word that he'll be safe, that no harm will come to him."

"You have my word, General. And in time you will forget about Lord Ren, I'm sure of it."

"I know it will be difficult, at first," Snoke said, in a poor attempt at a paternal tone of voice. "But, believe me, it will be better this way. For everyone."

"When do I leave?"

"Tomorrow, at first light."

Hux felt sick again, his head swimming in agony. Tomorrow? So soon?

It suddenly dawned on him that Snoke had known what was going to happen with the rogue trooper. Known that Ren would leap in front of him. And had done nothing to stop it.

Why?

In his heart, he knew that it was because Snoke had been looking for a way and an excuse to separate them. Had probably been doing so since discovering they were together.

"Can--can I at least say goodbye?" Hux asked, wincing as he heard the sound of his voice breaking.

"Of course. He'll still be out for a while; I've ordered the droids to give him a sleeping tonic that will keep him unaware for a few days yet."

"Take as long as you need. When you're finished, come straight to my chambers and we'll further discuss your upcoming assignment."

Hux nodded, watching as Snoke walked away.

He went into the little room where Ren lay, bandaged and unconscious, on the small bunk.

He took Ren's hand, and brought it gently to his lips.

"Ren--Snoke is sending me away. He knows about us, and doesn't want us together any more. He said--he said he would kill you if I didn't leave. And I can't have that, my love. You are my life and I couldn't live if you weren't here. It's going to kill me to be apart from you, to not even be able to speak to you, or see your beautiful face. Please forgive me and please please don't forget me, because I can't forget you. I love you."

He was aware that tears were falling steadily down his face, dampening his cheeks and falling onto Ren's bedspread.

He stayed there for a while longer, holding Ren's hand to his heart.

Then he gently placed it back on to the bed, turned around, and walked out of the room.

He didn't look back.


	8. Chapter 8

The new base was located at the edge of an ocean, placed about 2 miles back from the shoreline. It sat on a plateau surrounded by miles of coarse black sand. 

The buildings themselves were a reflective metallic gray, 3 smaller buildings spaced in a triangular configuration around a larger building.

A large area had been hollowed out of the sand that served as a combat course for the new incoming storm trooper regiments.

To the south of the buildings was a large forest situated at the base of an emerald green mountain. The plant-life was uniquely diverse, canopy leaves and exotic flowers abounding.

It was all quite beautiful.

Despite the groupings of buildings sticking up from the ground like a sore thumb, the rest of this area had a whimsical, untouched look to it. In the early mornings, before any of the day's work had begun, Hux could clearly hear the sound of the waves as they restlessly pushed against the border of the sand. 

Along with Hux, Snoke had sent a small group of diligent, hard-working officers to help him in his command of the base. Accompanying the Officers were a contingent of droids, supplies, and various personnel.

They would receive one batch of new recruits a month, ranging from between 50-100 men, and subject them to intensive conditioning and training, before moving them along to join Snoke's main army.

Because the groups were generally smaller than the ones at the main base, and there were less duties to attend to, Hux and his subordinates able to give the new recruits a level of attention that they would not have received at the larger base.

They went through courses on weapon handling, hand to hand combat, strategic thinking, weight and martial arts training. Hux allowed his Captains a great deal of freedom in the way they chose to educate the recruits, and the result was a mutually beneficial relationship for all parties involved.

Hux was willing to listen in areas where Snoke wouldn't, and was open to compromise in a way that Snoke wasn't.

In a way, Hux's life here was far simpler. 

He had more control over what went on at this base, and he could run things the way he saw fit, with very little interference from Snoke, or anyone else.

This would have been the most relaxing period of his life, if he had been able to properly appreciate it.

As it was, he was caught in the grip of a depression so deep that he had ceased to feel it, to think of it; accepting the unending ache as a permanent part of his life, now.

Fortunately, his years of self-denial and strict adherence to regulation helped him to hide his emotional ailment well. 

Nobody who worked with him or saw him had any idea that the man was struggling, struggling to hold on to his mind, to get through each day without collapsing into tears or shooting himself with his blaster.

He had grown even thinner, since coming here. He only ate mouthfuls of things at beginnings or endings of meals.

He threw himself into his work as hard as he could, and when there was nothing to do, he went for long walks into the surrounding countryside, exploring the thick forests and wildlife of the planet.

Nights were nearly unbearable for him. The thoughts that he strove to keep out of his mind during the day all attacked him at night, teaming up in two's and three's to relentlessly assault his brain.

He rarely slept anymore, although his body craved the release that unconsciousness could bring him.

But his dreams were filled to the brim with pictures of Ren; of his smile, his frown. 

His laugh. 

The way the corner of his eyes crinkled when he laughed. 

The way he ran his fingers through his hair when he was thinking of something. 

The way he pouted when being told something he didn't want to hear.

So many little details that had been captured permanently in Hux's mind's eye and refused to let go.

Hux often woke from these dreams with tears streaming down his face, his chest heaving and struggling to breathe.

Which is why, more often than not, guards and officers and stray storm troopers alike could see him marching along the corridors at all hours of the night, as well as during the day, each of them wondering idly to themselves when, exactly, it was that the General actually slept.

He had one sole comfort, if that was what you'd call it.

Before he had left the base, while Ren was still unconscious in med bay, he had snuck into Ren's quarters and stolen one of his thick wool robes.

When Hux was alone in his quarters, he would hold it to himself tightly, breathing in the luscious scent of the robe's owner.

Often, at night, he would wear it himself, enjoying the way it wrapped around him, warming his cold skin, burying his arms in its long sleeves.

Other than the robe, and the occasional drink, Hux allowed himself no other pleasures. His mind was as sharp and focused as ever, and the fastidious effort he put into the education of the recruits did not go unnoticed.

Snoke was pleased with his progress, remarkably so. 

The storm troopers that Hux sent to him were trained better than any had ever been before, which was a testament to how well Hux was running his new command post.

"You are to be congratulated, General Hux. Your progress is highly commendable. I knew that my decision to send you there would be a wise endeavor," Snoke had said to him via their weekly holo meetings.

"Thank you, Supreme Leader," Hux replied mechanically, emotionlessly. 

He stared raptly at the holo while Snoke was speaking, listening as he briefed him on all the proceedings and events taking place back on the old base.

Listening, but not really caring.

As always during their meetings with Snoke, he held a faint glimmer of hope that he would catch a glimpse of Ren in the background, or perhaps hear a snatch of his voice.

But that never happened.

At the end, he bowed before the projection as the holo faded from existence, thinking as always how grateful he was that Snoke couldn't read his thoughts from so far away.

Since he had gone away, he had written a book's worth of letters and poems to Ren. He knew that he could never actually send Ren any of his feverish writings, but still. It helped to center him, somewhat, to be able to get his feelings out on paper.

He had hoped, in the beginning, that against all odds, Ren would find some way to get some form of communication to him. A holo, a letter, a datapad message, something, anything at all to let Hux know that he was still thinking of him.

But there had been nothing.

Nothing but silence.

Supreme Leader was probably right, Hux thought bitterly to himself. Enough time has passed that Ren has forgotten all about me.

I guess I can't really blame him. I could never see what he'd want with someone like me in the first place. I'm nothing compared to him.

Days turned into weeks, weeks into months. Every day seemed much the same to the General. 

The only difference was, sadly, ironically, there weren't nearly as many meetings to attend to HERE as there was back on the other base.

In all honestly, Hux would have preferred his old meeting schedule. He craved the mind-numbing distraction that they would have provided.

As it was, he felt that he had far too much free time on his hands. Time to wonder, to worry, to obsess over the man whose face was sketched into his soul.

There came a point, after quite a long time, when he firmly told himself that it was time to move on.

That point came on a chilly day when he stood outside on a platform and watched the troops going through combat training. The wind was particularly strong, roaring across the tops of the trees and the buildings, bringing with it faint traces of moisture and the light smell of saltwater from the nearby ocean.

He had been watching, thinking of nothing in particular, when one of his officers walked up behind him.

"Excuse me, General?"

"Yes?" he replied, without turning around.

"Sir, I have some requisition forms here I need you to sign."

Hux turned around slowly, hands clasped behind his back, watching as the woman approached him.

She was a pretty little thing, with a soft voice, mocha-colored skin, and brilliant eyes that matched the color of the ocean beyond them.

He took the papers out of her little hands one by one as he quickly read through them, before signing his name at the bottom of each.

"You have very neat handwriting," she had said as she watched him, smiling a little. "If my penmanship was half that good, I'd write everything down on paper."

"Thank you," he said quietly, offering her a half-hearted grin. 

He signed the last paper and handed it back to her, along with the pen. His fingers accidentally brushed hers as they did so, and she reacted to the touch, shivering slightly.

"General, your hands--they're so cold. Forgive my saying so, sir, but you should stand out in the sun a bit more. The easiest way to get sick in this climate is to be wet or cold."

"Thank you for the advice," he responded drily, regarding her with his gray eyes, "But I'm sure I'll be fine. You may go now."

She nodded and turned around, arms loaded with papers as she walked back inside.

She has a nice little figure, he thought to himself, tilting his head as he watched her retreating view. She smelled really good, too; like cherry blossoms. 

He thought these things, and a dozen more things; and, surprisingly, he didn't feel guilty about any of his thoughts.

It was oddly refreshing, to once again be able to look at another person through a solely aesthetic view point.

He hadn't had any thoughts like that in a long time.

Hux, he thought to himself. I know how you've been feeling, but this isn't exactly a prudent use of your time or energy. Ren hasn't spoken to you in months. Not once. He's probably forgotten all about you by now.

What you had was lovely, while it lasted. But it's over now. And the sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be free of this pain.

Move on. For both of your sakes. Keep your memories, lock them away, and move on.

Please.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Hux stood on the beach with several members of his personnel, watching as they collected water into vats, to bring back to the base.

The water on this planet was abundant, but largely undrinkable. The minerals that existed beneath the surface of the waves contaminated it, made it poisonous.

The only way they could get a decent water supply for the base was to collect it, as they were doing now, and bring it back where they would run it through their purifying machines.

The whole process took days to complete, so every day Hux sent a group to collect more water, to ensure that the supply never ran out.

Hux had decided to go with today's group, standing as the wind whipped his coat out behind him. He felt the warm sunshine on his face and the mist from the crashing waves, and felt--okay.

For the fist time in a long time, he felt okay.

Calm.

Peaceful.

He closed his eyes and blocked every thought from his mind, simply standing and listening to the sounds of nature, and of his men talking quietly to themselves as they completed their task.

"Excuse me; are you General Hux?"

He opened his eyes and turned around. An unfamiliar gentleman stood behind him, head cocked, eyes trained on him curiously.

"I am."

"Good afternoon. My name is Alonsus; I'm a trader from Corellia. I've recently made a delivery to your organization's main base, and was asked to deliver a message to you. I spoke with your assistant, and she told me I could find you here. I would have waited for you to return, but I don't have much time; I have another delivery to make, and I was told to deliver this personally to your hands."

Hux watched as he pulled a long beige envelope out of his jacket pocket, and held it out to him. There was no writing of any kind on the front, although, judging by the heaviness, there was quite a bit of material inside.

Hux took it, frowning. Who would send him a hand-written message like this? Anyone who needed to contact him could do so via holo or datapad message.

"Thank you," he said absently, placing the envelope in a pocket inside of his coat.

"You're welcome. Have a good day, General," the man replied, before turning and hurrying away to his speeder, which was parked at the edge of the forest.

Hux turned back towards the men, who had finished collecting the days supply of water and were loading the tanks on to the transport barge.

Hux forgot all about the letter until much later in the evening, when he was back in his quarters and undressing.

The envelope fell out of his pocket, and he picked it up curiously.

He carefully opened it and extracted a couple of folded pages, which were scribbled with an intaglio of words.

Sloppy, sprawling handwriting.  
Heavy pen strokes.

Almost like--

Oh.

Oh, Maker.

Hux felt his knees go weak and the blood rush to his face. He sat down hard on the floor, his heart pounding, as he began to read.

 

Hux,

I've waited for the longest time for it to be safe to send a letter to you. Supreme Leader is visiting his allies in a neighboring system, so I was able to hire a messenger to go to you. I hope he makes it.

As much as I hate to say this, I don't want you sending anything back to me. It's too risky, and Snoke promised me he'd kill you if he found that I was contacting you for any reason. I know how dangerous this is, how foolish, but I couldn't stand it anymore, thinking that you had gone away without knowing what was in my heart.

I don't know where to begin. I feel as if my life has been hollowed out, turned into an inescapable nightmare, since the morning I woke up and found that you had been sent away.

I haven't forgotten about you. At night, I dream of you. You are the color of my blood; you ARE my blood. Any reflective surfaces all torment me with images of your face.

Snoke has me training with him harder than ever, I think in an attempt to keep me occupied so that I won't think about you. I come back to my quarters at the end of the day barely able to walk due to fatigue and mental exhaustion; and then I crawl into bed and you're not there, and that kills me. 

I miss having my arms around you.

I miss the way you made me clean my quarters.

I miss you in the early morning.  
I miss you late at night.

I miss you, period.

I know that Snoke says we need to get over each other, but I can't accept that.

When the time is right, when the circumstances are right, you and I are going to escape together.

I don't know where we'll go, but when we do, it'll be as if we dropped off the face of existence.

But I can't think of any of this too often, or too long, because Snoke is keeping a close watch on my thoughts for any kind of planning such as this. 

Just know that, although we're stuck in this situation for the time being, one thing has not changed: the way I feel about you.

I don't know when, or IF, I will ever be able to get another message to you.

Just know that I love you, Hux.  
I love you with all of myself.  
And I miss you.

I love you,  
Ren

 

He read the letter over three, four, five times, holding it between his shaking fingers. He absently lifted his sleeve to his eyes, wiping away the moisture he could feel gathering there.

And then, he smiled.

For the first time in months, he really, truly smiled.

The situation was still far from ideal, and the pain of being apart from Ren was still quite strong.

But.

Ren had not forgotten about him.

And he still loved him.

Hux resolved, right then and there, that he was going to find a way to reunite with Ren. To be back in his arms.

Even if it killed him.

Maker, Hux; it seems you've forgotten who you are, he thought to himself.

You are General Armitage Hux. 

Top of your class and youngest ever to graduate from Arkanis Military Academy.

Master-mind of the First Order.

Solving problems is what you DO.

If you can't think of a solution to this dilemma, then nobody can.

So you WILL.

You've got to.

I've got to, Hux repeated to himself.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Sir, we've captured a small cargo ship located within the perimeter of our planet. They claim they were looking for a place to obtain fuel, but we found several articles of clothing and such containing the Resistance insignia on board their ship.

"How many are there?"

"Two pilots, 3 crew members, and one older woman. The older woman appears to be the leader, Sir."

"Have they been disarmed?"

"Yes, sir, they have all been searched, and disarmed, and are in the holding area. My men await word as to what to do with them.

"Very good. Have them all placed in individual cells, and bring the older woman to my office chambers at once. I shall question her myself."

"Yes, Sir," the man said, saluting him before going to carry out his orders.

When he was gone, Hux sighed to himself. He really did not feel up to questioning anyone, and chances were, if he found them to be part of the Resistance, he would have to execute them all, anyway.

He walked with heavy feet towards his chambers, to speak with the so-called leader of the group.

He entered the room and saw that his men had strapped the woman into the chair with the restraints. He cursed silently to himself; he did not intend for them to do that. 

The lady was a possible Resistance member, but she was still a lady. He would not have had her treated as such.

He spoke more sharply than he intended to, ordering his men to leave them.

He waited until the men left and the doors closed, and he crossed the room, locking it behind them.

He turned slowly and walked up to the diminutive woman. She did not look away, nor did she show any fear.

One by one, he released the mechanisms on her restraints, apologizing as he did so.

"I'm sorry about this," he said quietly, much to her surprise. "Until we discover that you are an enemy, you are our guest, and will be treated as such."

She stared at him wordlessly, not quite sure of what he was doing.

He brought his own chair from across the room and set it down in front of her, gesturing for her to sit.

She did so cautiously, her eyes never leaving Hux's face.

As he looked at her, something occurred to him.

Her eyes.

Her eyes were the exact same warm brown as---Ren's.

No.

No, no.

This couldn't possibly be Ren's--mother? The General of the Resistance?

She was dressed plainly, in a dark blue tunic, a black vest, dark pants, and boots. Her hair was pulled back into two small symmetrical buns behind her ears. 

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you are General Leia Organa. When I was in Academy, I read quite a few books about your so-called heroic exploits during the Galactic War. I must say, you're a lot shorter than I thought, for a woman described as leading such a big life."

"And you're a lot younger than I would have thought befitting the General of a dictatorship."

The way she said that, folding her arms across her chest and glaring at him, voice dripping with sarcasm--there was no doubt, now. 

This was Ren's mother.

He didn't know where to start, so he began with what was on his mind.

"You and your son have the exact same eyes. The same brown, the same shape, everything. It's amazing."

She tilted her head and blinked at him, taken aback by his rather unexpected statement.

"Is--he here? Is my son here?"

"No, he's not. He's at our other base, with the Supreme Leader."

"Snoke," she said, spitting out his name like a curse.

Hux nodded, smiling a little.

"May I ask--what are you doing here? Are you really looking for fuel or did your Resistance find out about this new base, with intent to destroy it?"

She looked down at her hands, speaking quietly.

"We had no idea that The First Order had more than one base. We were on our way home when one of our fuel tanks ruptured. Our ship can make it on one tank, normally, but the reserve tank was quite low, forcing us to make an emergency landing. By the time we realized who was here, it was too late to get away; your men had already spotted and surrounded us."

Hux nodded, enjoying the lyrical quality of the woman's voice.

"What should I call you? Do you prefer Mrs., or ma'am, or General, or something else?"

She paused, before answering in a soft voice "You can call me Leia."

"Alright. Leia, then. If you want, you can call me Hux. General Armitage Hux, for the record; but just Hux will suffice."

"Hux, then. Tell me something; will my death be quick or slow? To be honest you can do with me as you like, but I implore you to please have mercy on my men."

"Leia, I don't intend to kill you. I don't even intend to keep you here. I'm going to order my men to fix your ship. Once we're done talking, once they are done with repairs, I'm going to escort you back myself and have you go."

She looked at him in amazement, and suspicion.

"Why--why would you do that? Why would you let the enemy go?"

"Because I think we can help each other."

"Help each other? How?"

"I think," he said, leaning closer and dropping his voice into a whisper, "I think if we work together, we can take down the First Order, and Snoke, and free your son."

She looked at him as if he were crazy. 

And perhaps he was.

But an idea had fastened itself in his head, one that clung to him desperately and refused to be appeased.

He spent the next hour talking quietly, calmly with her. About Snoke and his operation. About what life was like in The First Order. About with his growing disillusionment with the war.

He hesitated a little, before speaking to her about the nature of the relationship between him and her son, not knowing what her reaction would be, or if she would approve.

Her eyes grew wide as he spoke about Ren, her entire demeanor visibly softening.

"Ben--has found someone? Someone that he--loves?"

"Ben. I suppose I'd have to get used to calling him that. The last time I tried, he nearly put my lights out.", Hux said, smiling wistfully.

"For Maker's sake-- is he still going by that Kylo Ren nonsense?"

"He is."

Leia rolled her eyes, looking so much like her son that it was almost painful.

"But to answer your question, Leia; I certainly hope he loves me back. Because I love him. I'd do anything for him, Leia."

"All these years--I was certain that Ben was incapable of love, that he would never know the kind of happiness that his father and I had; and that broke my heart. Broke it even more than his leaving us to join Snoke, because I felt that, no matter what, he would always be lonely. And now, to hear after all this time that--"

She broke off, looking embarrassed, as she wiped tears from her eyes, clearing her throat.

He went on to tell her of how they had been separated, and Snoke's order for them never to contact one another.

"I feel as though my heart has been ripped into shreds, Leia. He has the other half of my soul, and I won't be complete until he's by my side again."

She was quiet for a long time, thinking over Hux's words.

"What can we do?"

"Do you believe, in your heart, that your fighters would equipped to take down the army of the First Order? If they were properly trained, and knew the schematics and layout of our base and our weapon?"

"I do. Young man, you're looking at the woman who helped a team of rag-tag fighters destroy not one, but two, Death Stars."

Hux smiled a little, rubbing the back of his neck.

"That was due mostly to your brother, wasn't it?"

"Yes, I suppose," she said, once again doing the Ren eye-roll. "But having the Force makes a lot of things easier than they would be for normal people."

"But, Hux, I have a question for you. Several questions, actually. If we do this, and we are successful, how do you know that this is something my son would want? I haven't seen or spoken to him in over 10 years, now. When he left, he was quite adament that this was the path he was meant to take. He has my father in him, and that's a hard thing to overcome."

"Leia, in my heart I KNOW that he's tired of Snoke, and the First Order. I don't believe he could ever be a Jedi again; but I do know he wants to come home. The problem lies with Snoke. He keeps Ren on a very tight leash, and employs a variety of means to keep Ren tied to him. Ren isn't strong enough to take down the Supreme Leader himself."

"No, but my brother would be."

"Would--would he be willing to help Ben? Even after all he's done?"

"Luke is the most powerful individual I've ever known. Part of his strength comes from his endless capacity to forgive. He's dreamed of the day Ben would see the light and come home to his family."

"I think, if we plan this correctly, it could work. We could disband the First Order, destroy the base, and end Snoke. Ren would be free. That's the difficult part, though; getting Ren away from Snoke and off of the base before this happens. And ensuring that your men are successful."

He paused, looking thoughtfully at Ren's mother.

"Do you think my motives are selfish, or that I'm selfish, because I'm planning all of this mainly for your son?"

She looked up at him, biting her lower lip.

"No. I don't. Happiness starts at home, with your family. You consider my son to be your family, and you're willing to go to dangerous lengths to protect that. I think that's admirable."

"Hux, if it's one thing, one lesson I've learned in my life, it's that you have to put your family first. I made the mistake of putting my career, my life with the Senate first. If I had paid more attention to my own home, I would have seen how hard Ben was struggling with himself. I would have seen that he needed both of his parents' guidance, and attention. He had our love but he never saw that, because we didn't take enough time to show him our love."

"Am I making any sense at all?"

"You are. Thank you," he said, standing and folding the woman into his arms in a tight hug.

She embraced him back warmly, giving him a small kiss on his cheek.

"Who knows," she said lightly as she pulled away, "Maybe, if we don't all die horribly, one day I can call you my son---in-law?"

"I'd like that," he said quietly, a blush creeping over his face. "The son part, anyway. I can do without the dying horribly scenario."

"Sorry, I was trying to lighten the mood a bit."

"I can see where Ben gets his odd sense of humor."

"Yes, well--that's enough humor for now, General Hux. We need to discuss strategy."

"Yes, ma'am, General Organa," he replied, saluting her before settling down to business.


	9. Chapter 9

Hux awaited the arrival of the Supreme Leader, nervous, biting his nails and trying to control  
the sweat he felt trying to break out in his face.

Hux and Leia had spent long hours over the past few weeks, trying to figure out the best plan to get Ren off of the base, alone, and without suspicion from the Supreme Leader.

"What if you sent a message to Snoke telling him that this base was under attack?"

"That wouldn't do any good, I don't think. He would just send a legion of troopers to come to our aid, but he wouldn't send your son. Not so long as I'm here."

"What if--what if you weren't here? What if we had one of your men say that you had been injured, or better yet, killed? Do you think he'd send Ben then?"

Hux frowned, scrubbing his hand wearily across his face. He hadn't slept in days; he needed a shave.

"That--I don't know. Even if he did send Ben, the situation would be dangerous. If Ben thought that I had really been hurt, or dead, he would come in with his lightsaber swinging, and our men wouldn't be able to stop his rampage before he had killed them all."

"I can see your point," Leia responded, her eyes deep in thought. "But what if, right when he landed, he had someone relay a psychic message to him telling him to halt his attack? Would that work?"

"You mean, let him read someone's thoughts?"

"Yes."

"I'm not sure. I feel as though by the time he got here, he'd be too far gone to be listening properly. It would take someone with an exceptionally loud mind to be able to break through his anger long enough for him to hear what he needs to hear."

"I could do it," Leia said, quietly. "I used to communicate with him through our minds all the time when he was younger. We had quite a strong Force-bond. Maybe--maybe we still do."

Hux sighed, getting up and staring out of his office window. 

"I don't want to put you in that kind of danger, Leia. You'd have to be very close to where his ship landed, meaning you'd be out in the open while possibly blaster fire is erupting. You could die."

"Death is a natural part of life, Hux," she responded softly, crossing the room to put a hand on his shoulder. "When it's my time, it's my time. I'm  
not scared at the prospect of my own demise, but I am for Ben's. He's still young. Both of you are still young."

He said nothing for a long time, looking out into the distance, watching as the wind swayed through the trees.

Another idea came to him.

"What if I could somehow get Snoke to come here? Alone? If it were possible to set up some sort of ambush where your brother could fight him here, without any interference?"

"In the meantime, when Snoke is on his way here, I'd be free to send a messenger to Ben, telling him of our plan, and to leave the base before your men attack it. We could meet somewhere that's not here or there, and wait it out. Once I give the signal that Ren is safely off the base, then your men can begin their attack."

"If your brother is successful, Snoke will die here, and the First Order will be no more."

Leia thought over his words, her hand holding her cup of tea that had grown cold hours ago.

"That's risky; but it might work. It just might. We would need a month to prepare for this, though. I would have to have my fighters come to this base, and be hidden somewhere where Snoke would not see them, as he was landing. And what about your men?"

Hux had already taken care of that.

A few days ago, he had called a meeting of all his officers and personnel, telling them that they had a grave matter to discuss.

He had waited until every single person was in the room, about 60 men and women in all, and took his place at the head of the table.

Slowly, carefully, he explained his reason for calling them there. He explained his plan to turn on Snoke, and overthrow the First Order.

"You all, every man and woman in this room, are here with me today because you are among my most loyal. Now I'm asking you to rethink your loyalties, and join me in a cause greater than any of us. If we are successful, it will mean your freedom."

"Freedom. I want you to take a few seconds and think over what that concept means to you. The freedom to go where you please, and do as you wish. To leave this war behind you. To fall in love, to marry, to start families. No more drills, no more mindless deaths, no uniforms, no regulations."

"I know this is a heady thing I am asking you to consider, and that the magnitude of the situation is quite great. But I truly believe, in the greater scheme of things, that the rewards of this endeavor far outweigh the risks."

He began to tell them about Leia's fighters, and how they intended to destroy the other base. 

When he was done speaking, a thick silence blanketed the room. All eyes were on the General, thinking over what he had said. The risks. The rewards.

The future.

One of his captains, an older male, slowly rose from his seat.

"I'm with you, General," he had said, smiling, his magnetic voice booming around the quiet room.

Across from him, a young lady, one of the weapons combat instructors, also rose from her seat.

"I'm with you."

Gradually, one by one, all the members of the room were standing and facing Hux, declaring their willingness to go along with the plan.

Hux smiled and rose from his own seat last, looking around the room at the men and women who were ready to follow his lead.

"So it begins."

That had been a weeks back, and Hux and Leia had been in conference ever since then, strategizing the best possible way to go about their mission.

Getting Snoke to come to him was easier than he had thought it would be.

"Supreme Leader," he had days during their holo meeting, keeping his voice steady and his posture firm, "My men and I would be honored if you would grace us with a visit. We're quite proud of all we have accomplished, here, and would be delighted if we could show you our achievements in person."

Snoke had tilted his head slightly, in the holo, eyes piercing through Hux's. If he was suspicious, he didn't let on.

Instead, he nodded his head and said,

"Very well, General. I shall arrive in one week's time. Prepare yourself for my arrival."

And with that, the holo faded out of existence.

Now he stood out on the docking ramp, watching as the familiar ship flew into the planet's atmosphere and made a graceful landing towards him.

He kept his face smooth as Snoke stepped off of his ship, not accompanied by his guards but alone, walking regally down the ramp.

A second figure emerged behind him, and for a moment, Hux felt as though he would faint. All the blood drained from his face, his knees felt wobbly, and it was only with a superhuman effort that he was able to keep from slipping like a rag doll to the floor.

No.

No, no, oh no.

Kylo Ren was here, too.

Unmasked, and staring at Hux with an unreadable expression in his eyes.

Oh, Maker, no.

With Ren here, as well, their strategy had to change. There was no way that Hux could send a thought to him, telling him of the situation about to unfold, without the Supreme Leader picking up on his thoughts, as well.

He knew that Ren would most likely immediately sense the presence of his Uncle and his Mother, and that alertness would be picked up upon by Snoke, even if Ren said nothing out loud to aid the suspicion.

And he did not know, whether Snoke would be able to convince him to fight alongside him, against his Uncle.

Luke was, after all, the main focus of all of Snoke's manipulations, training, and searching. His chance to forever rid the galaxy of the Jedi.

A battle that he had been preparing Ren for, for a great many years.

Maker, what do I do, now?

He couldn't send Luke away, as he needed to be there, but he could send away Leia.

Hux hurriedly whispered to the officer next to him to go and get Leia, and take her immediately to the shore. Maybe if she was far enough away, Ren wouldn't sense her presence. 

"And tell her to alert her men to begin their attack NOW," he whispered, watching as the man walked swiftly away.

"General", Snoke called when he was close. "How wonderful to see you."

Hux lowered his head in a bow, keeping his eyes on the floor of the ramp until Snoke was directly in front of him.

"It is an honor that you've graced us with your presence today, Supreme Leader," he said, hoping that his voice was steady enough so that Snoke couldn't hear the loud thumping of his heart.

Lord Ren joined them, quietly, standing by Snoke's side.

"I hope you don't mind that I've brought my apprentice, General. I wanted him to see what a life free of distractions could accomplish. I trust you are over your silly feelings for one another at this point?"

"Of course, Supreme Leader," said Hux, turning towards Ren.

"Lord Ren; it is an honor that you could join us, as well. I hope you find our facilities here to your liking."

He extended his arm towards Ren, offering him a handshake.

Ren took his hand, firmly, and when he did so, Hux felt an electric spark pass through him like a live wire. It was so powerful, so overwhelming that Hux was afraid that Snoke had felt it, too.

He kept his mind carefully blank as he quickly let go of Ren's hand, not wanting Snoke to be suspicious.

"Very good, lets go.", Snoke said, as he began to walk towards the tall building.

Once they were inside, his Captains would move out of the shadows and take Snoke's ship, where they would join Leia's fighters in the attack on the other base.

There was a split second, just a brief moment in time, when Snoke's back was turned and he couldn't see either Ren or Hux.

Hux took the opportunity to look directly at Ren, look into his eyes and mouth "I love you". Ren's own eyes lit up in a flood of emotion; he understood that Hux couldn't express any more than that.

Then Hux was by the Supreme Leaders side again, with Ren on his other side, as the three walked up the steps and into the building.

Hux gave them a tour of the grounds, pointing out specific buildings or areas where the most training was accomplished. He gave Snoke a detailed explanation on the variety of things they were teaching the storm troopers, different combative styles and weapons training.

They arrived at the training grounds, in the manmade courtyard between the small buildings, and Hux began to sweat.

This was where it would happen.

Ren could tell something was up with him, could sense it, but said nothing. He watched Hux with anxious eyes as the redhead took a deep breath and walked in front of Snoke.

Before he could speak, his thoughts betrayed his intentions, and Snoke tilted his head, looking through him.

"You have something you wish to tell me, General?" he asked in his quiet, deadly voice.

Hux held his head up, pulling not air into his lungs before speaking.

"Supreme Leader, I didn't ask you to come out here to have you inspect the grounds. And I did not expect you to bring Ren with you, but since he's here, I have something to say to the both of you."

"I'm leaving The First Order. I can no longer stand idly by and watch you ruin the lives of countless people, planets, and systems in this galaxy. I can no longer be a party to it."

"Ren," he said, turning his gaze towards the confused knight, "I love you. I love you more than I would have thought it possible to love another human being. Nothing will ever change that."

He went to Ren, taking both of his hands into his. He quickly kissed his cheek, struggling to keep the tears from falling.

"Trust me," he whispered, before turning back to Snoke.

"Snoke," he said, staring directly into his eyes, "Today is the day it ends, for one of us."

Snoke smiled at him, his lips curling up into an angry sneer.

Snoke raised his hand towards him, rooting him to the spot.

"General, never in all the time that we've been together had I ever suspected that you would turn on me like this. Your lack of loyalty is appalling. No matter, you are replaceable."

Before anyone could react, Snoke turned and waved his hand at his apprentice, rendering him immobile as well.

"Ren, I know you might try and do something rash, to try and stop me; so I'm keeping you still for your own good. Trust me, it'll be better this way."

Snoke ignited his blade and took a step towards Hux, eyes lit up with a menacing evil.

"I must admit I find it admirable that you had the courage to say these things to my face. Admirable, but foolish. You've left yourself open, with no way to defend yourself from my wrath."

"Snoke!"

The voice came from behind, startling the Supreme Leader. He turned away from Hux, and came face to face with Luke Skywalker. His tan robes bellowed out behind him in the strong wind, his green bladed lightsaber held at his side.

A slow smile crept over Snoke's face.

"The elusive Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master. This is a surprise. I've waited for this day for quite a long time."

He waved his hand over Ren, freeing him from his stillness. 

"Come, my apprentice; we have one last Jedi to extinguish."

Ren looked from Hux to Snoke to Luke, confused.

Snoke could feel Ren's conflict, and used it to manipulate him further. "Help me kill him, and I'll set the General free. He'll live."

Ren looked at Hux, took a deep breath and ignited his own saber, standing at Snoke's right.

Ren, Hux thought loudly, desperately, I have a plan, and I'll explain later; right now, TRUST ME and HELP YOUR UNCLE! Please! TRUST ME!!

Ren heard him, a split second before Snoke did, and he moved quickly from Snoke's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with Luke. He nodded to his uncle, and Luke nodded back at him, his eyes never leaving Snoke's face.

Snoke's eyes widened in surprise. 

"Kylo Ren--you dare turn on your Master?!"

"His name, is Ben Solo. He is not your puppet anymore. You've destroyed the Jedi, you've damaged the galaxy, and you've torn apart my family; but you haven't destroyed ME."

"I plan to rectify that today, Master Skywalker," Snoke said, before lunging at the both of them with his saber.

Even as unversed in the ways of the Force as Hux was, he could tell the difference between Snoke and Luke's fighting styles. 

Luke was powerful, and he was controlled, using his feelings to sense where Snoke would strike and effortlessly blocking his blows. He was able to manipulate the stone pillars around the courtyard using the Force, sending them all crashing down in chunks and shards around Snoke.

Snoke was wild but he was precise, his red blade coming down with brutal impact into the walls and arches around him. 

Kylo Ren fought as best he could, and was successfully able to block Snoke as well as drive him backwards with his Uncle. But he lacked the years of experience of the two men, as well as the discipline to control his feelings, and his strikes were nowhere near as effective as Luke's.

Hux was immobilized, watching with horror-struck eyes as Ren and his uncle fought the Supreme Leader. 

His heart slammed in his chest.

This was just like his dream, the one he had had so many times back at the other base.

The one where he was paralyzed and couldn't run, couldn't scream, and couldn't save Ren.

The fiery swords clashed with one another repeatedly in a shower of sparks, whipping through the air with deadly precision.

Snoke lifted his hand and moved a heavy piece of a column towards Ren, who didn't have time to move out of the way. Luke saw it flying at him and deflected it, taking his attention away from Snoke.

Snoke used Luke's distraction to his advantage, as he managed to incapacitate him, the blade of his saber slicing up his back, knocking him unconscious.

Ren watched, horrified, as his uncle hit the ground.

"I must say, I'm disappointed," Snoke told Luke with a sneer. "I had always expected the son of Darth Vader to be a more formidable opponent."

With a roar, Ren ran at Snoke, lunging into him with a ferocious barrage of swings. 

Ren fought hard against his master, but his fatigue quickly topped the scales towards Snoke. Eventually Snoke overpowered him, driving him back into the ivy-clad wall.

Snoke brought his blade down in a hard stroke on Ren's right hand, cleanly slicing it off at the wrist. Ren screamed out in agony, dropping to his knees, his saber flying out of his hands and several feet away. He clutched his cauterized wrist with his good hand, staring up fearfully at his Master.

"My apprentice. Young Ben Solo. Grandson of the strongest Force-user to ever live. I had such high hopes for you, Kylo. But it turns out you're just as weak and useless as all Skywalker men."

Snoke brought his blade above his head, smiling down at his young protege.

Hux felt his heart shatter into a thousand pieces. Snoke had rendered his face as well as his body immobile, so he couldn't even close his eyes, couldn't look away from the unspeakable sight of Snoke about to kill Ren.

Suddenly, amazingly, a figure in a dark robe moved in quickly begin Snoke, before he could bring his blade down on Ren's head.

A bright flash of light nearly blinded Hux as he watched in disbelief, as a blue light saber made a hole though the back of Snoke's chest.

Snoke gasped, turning around slowly to face his attacker.

The figure had taken off its hood, and stood triumphantly over the now-crumpled over figure of Snoke, still clutching his chest in agony.

Leia smiled, speaking in her soft lyrical voice, as she told him, "You underestimate the power of Skywalker WOMEN, Supreme Leader."

She lifted the bright blue above her head and brought it down in a heavy stroke on Snoke's head, decapitating him.

Breathing heavily, she turned off the saber and clipped it into her belt, before going to her son.

"M-mom?"

Tears began to flow in Leia's eyes, as she approached the son she had not seen in so long.

"Ben. I'm so happy to finally see you again."

"Were you a part of this whole thing?"

"Yes."

"You--you wanted to help me? After what I've done to you, to our family?"

"Ben, I love you, I've always loved you. And if killing your boss is the only way I could get you to come home, I'm happy to have done it," she joked, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Mom--how did you DO that? I didn't even know you knew how to use a lightsaber!"

"I don't. But it was my father's. I figured it was about time he helped me with SOMETHING.

She tore a piece off her robe and wrapped it around her son's wrist. "We need to get you to med bay, son."

"Wait," he said, staggering away from her and towards Hux. He lifted his free hand and released him from his paralysis.

Hux hesitated, and walked over slowly to Ren. He embraced him fiercely, tightly, not sure if he was ever going to be able to let go.

Ren hugged him back as best he could with his good arm, grimacing a bit.

"All this hugging and kissing; it's not really part of the Jedi way," came a gruff voice from behind them.

They all turned, surprised.

Luke had regained consciousness and was on his feet, walking unsteadily towards the little group. 

"Leia--in all these years, all this time, I never once suspected that you knew how to use a lightsaber."

"I don't," she repeated, smiling. "Now come on, we have to get you and Ben to med bay."

With Leia supporting her brother, and Hux supporting Ren, they made their way slowly into the building, looking back one last time at Snoke laying dead on the marble steps.


	10. Chapter 10

"So how was work today, Senator?"

Hux smirked at him, going to sit in his favorite chair. 

"Exhausting. We're trying to create a new bill that would sufficiently lower taxes on --"

Ben interrupted him by yawning exaggeratedly, stretching his arms above his head.

"Hux, I love you, but that sounds really, really boring."

Hux rolled his eyes.

"Like your day was any more exciting?"

"It was, actually. Luke and I finally got the padawans to learn how to --"

This time Hux yawned, loudly, stretching out and peeking at his love with a wide grin on his face.

The past year had been a whirlwind of emotions, and changes, for the two men.

Hux and Leia's fighters had been successful in taking down Snoke's army and obliterating the super weapon.

He and Leia had begun the long, arduous task of rebuilding the government that had collapsed during Snoke's reign, and had finally gotten all the planets in their system in agreement on whom they wanted to represent their planets interests in a senate council. Hux had been elected senator by the people of Arkanis, a position which he rose to grandly.

His mind, his reasoning, his ability to solve problems made him a force to be reckoned with in the senate, and he did his best to ensure that he found the best compromises for the needs of all the people.

Luke Skywalker had begun to reestablish the Jedi order, and had taken on Ben as his fellow Master. 

Chewbacca, Ben's Wookiee uncle, had reunited with them, visiting from his home world of Kashyyk. He had been surprised to find that Ben was back, and that the broken family had been put back together again.

It was difficult at first, to get over his anger at Ben for having killed Han, Chewie's best friend, but Ben had spent long hours conversing with him in Shyriiwook, explaining all that had been going on in his head, how he had been manipulated by Snoke, until he could make Chewie understand that he had changed.

Hux was intimidated by Ben's uncle at first, having had no personal interactions with that particular species before. However he quickly got used to him, and his bone-crushing hugs.

Now Chewie lived at the Jedi temple with Luke, helping out however he could with their many young students.

Together, Ben and Luke reworked their teachings to be inclusive of the things which the Jedi code formerly forbid, such as suppressing ones anger, or falling in love.

"I've had enough years to think about it," Luke had said to Ben, his hand on his shoulder, "And I've came to realize that the Jedi need to be more open-minded to that which we allow or don't allow. Love is a natural thing, as are fear, anger, and hurting. Instead of suppressing these things, we should learn to acknowledge them, and work together to overcome them."

"Uncle, I could have told you that a long, long time ago," Ben had replied, embracing the older man.

The two men began the process of building a new Jedi temple, and began to accept Force-sensitive children who were interested in learning more about their gifts.

Whereas before these children would be entirely separated from their families, now the family's of the kids in question were made active participants in their children's life, with them every step of the way as the children's talents grew and flourished.

That had been mostly Ben's doing, after having a talk with his uncle about the pain he had felt, being separated from his own family, and how those feelings of emptiness and loss had facilitated his step towards the dark side.

Hux and Ben's lives were filled each day with new tasks and new challenges to face, but they were together.

Together.

At first they lived with Leia in her little residence, but eventually decided they needed a place of their own, and built a small house up the road from hers.

"That way we'll have our privacy, but always be close to her."

Leia joined the new senate council alongside Hux, as senate representative from Naboo. She and Hux often went to work together, and at night they were at one another's homes for dinner.

To Hux, the concept of having a family was so monumental to him that it was hard to comprehend.

As a child, he has been sent away to boarding schools since he was very young. When he was at home with his father, the two men had a strained, cold relationship.

But Ben's family was so warm, so open and loving that it was a little difficult for him to take in. 

He was surprised at how quickly they accepted him as being a part of their family, and into their lives.

Even though he and Ben were not married, Leia referred to him as her son in law, and Luke jokingly called him "my ginger nephew".

He could not have imagined this, could not have dreamt that one day he would be in this place, living a normal life, with a family that loved him.

And he was with Ben.

The two men were beyond happy with their new lives, and were still as loving and teasing with each other as when they had first started their relationship.

As was demonstrated by the case now, with Hux feigning boredom to Ben's tales of his training padawans.

Ben pouted, and raised his hand towards Hux, immobilizing all of him but his mouth.

"Come on, you know I was kidding!" Hux protested as the taller man stalked slowly towards him.

He sat down on Hux's lap and straddled him, arms wrapping around his shoulders.

"I think I prefer you like this," Ben whispered into his ear, as he began to kiss around the red head's face. "You're much less aggravating when I can just freeze you in place and do what I want with you."

Hux kissed him back as best he could, his frozen arms trembling with the desire to reach out and touch him.

"Love--as much as I'd like to see where this is going, I don't have time for this right now. I've invited your mother over for dinner, and I've got to get started."

"When is she coming?"

"She'll be here in 3 hours."

"Then we have some time, don't we?" Ben whispered against his skin, moving his lips down Hux's chest in a slow teasing arc.

Hux shivered, trying to hold on to his mind long enough to fend off his eager lover.

"I really do have to get started on this meal. What I'm making takes a while. It's your favorite!"

Ben took his lips away from Hux, his mouth turning up in a delighted grin.

"Bantha Roast?"

"Yes."

"Okay, okay, " he smirked, as he released his mental hold on Hux. "Go get started. I'm going to send a holo to Luke and ask him to come, too, and to bring Chewbacca. I want the whole family here. Even my mother's annoying droids."

Hux raised an eyebrow at him, before walking into the kitchen. 

"All that just for a roast? You're kind of making a big deal out of it, aren't you? Or is there something more going on here than a family dinner?"

Ben smiled to himself, as he reached in his robe pocket, feeling the hard little box nestled there.

The one that held Hux's engagement ring.

"You never know, Hux." he said, as he strode into the kitchen to help his soon-to-be fiancée. 

He planted a kiss on Hux's cheek, wrapping his arms around him in a warm tight hug.

"You just never know."


End file.
